CAMPBELLVILLE, NOV. 3, 2001 — In what could be considered a dress rehearsal for next weekend’s Super Final showdowns, the three-year-old trotting colts and the three-year-old pacing fillies displayed their talent at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday night in a pair of exciting Gold Final races.
The two $100,000 Finals, Races 3 and 7 on Mohawk’s Saturday evening program, saw some unexpected performances that resulted in rich payouts for fans.
With Breeders Crown champion Liberty Balance scratched out of the race due to sickness it was Northern Bailey who proved to be the best of the three-year-old trotting colts in Race 3. Coming out of Post Position 1 the John Bax trainee was the first of the eight-horse field to the finish wire.
Co-owned by Bax’s Parkhill Stud Farm and William White of Peterborough and Brian Parkinson of Sharon, the Balanced Image son kept himself in contention in third-place during the early going. As the sophomore colts swept by the three-quarter pole driver Dave Wall and Northern Bailey started to make their move on race leader Bionic Ballad and slipped into second-place. First by the top of the stretch, Northern Bailey went on to win the Gold Final by a length in an impressive 1:55.3.
A pre-race longshot, Northern Bailey earned $50,000 for himself and returned $49.90 for the win, $11.10 to place and $5.20 to show. With Bionic Ballad claiming second-place and Sinatra, owned by Tom and June Durand of Puslinch, Diane Ingham of Mount Pleasant and Rob Kirk Ken Glass Stable of Scarborough, crossing the finish line in third, the triactor returned $591.60.
Not to be out done, the three-year-old pacing fillies provided an upset winner and profitable payouts in Race 7 when Kevin McMaster trainee Twin B Rosebud hit the wire first in 1:54.
Owned by McMaster Stables Inc. of Guelph, David Serwatuk of Hamilton, Robin Watts of Burlington and Cesar Kowalski of Stoney Creek, the gritty pacer settled in fifth spot as she came off the gate from Post 3. Driver Mario Baillargeon put the Dexter Nukes daughter in gear heading into the final turn and the duo narrowly beat out Run Around Jate in the rush to the finish line.
For fans who put a toonie on her chances Twin B Rosebud returned $32.50, $12.70 and $5.90. Also not on the list of pre-race favourites, Run Around Jate paid $26.00 to place and $10.50 to show. Picking up the third-place cheque was Fernbank Fiona. Together the trio of triumphant three-year-old filly pacers returned a lucrative triactor of $3,439.90
The Gold Series Finals for the three-year-old trotting colts and pacing fillies were the last for the 2001 season. However, the Ontario Sires Stakes program does not wrap up until next Saturday, Nov. 10 when the top two and three-year-olds from all eight OSS Gold divisions descend on Mohawk Racetrack for the $2 million Super Final Championship.
Fans unable to make the trip to the Campbellville oval for the Super Finals can catch all the excitement on cable television’s The Score from 9 to 11 pm EDT.