CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Mohawk Racetrack fans got an eyeful of this season’s talented freshman crop on Friday night as the pacing fillies and colts battled in $130,000 Gold Finals.

The ladies led off, and came within three-fifths of a second of matching the Ontario Sires Stakes two-year-old pacing filly speed record. Based on her impressive 1:53.3 clocking in the elimination round, Mohawk fans sent Love Canal off as their top choice and the filly started off in similar fashion, easing away from Post 4 and settling into sixth spot on the rail.

Its No Secret and Adventurepan battled through the :13.1 opening eighth, with Adventurepan getting the call at the :27 quarter. Not content to sit in the pocket, Its No Secret circled out to the front before the :56 half and a parade of fillies stepped to the outside in her wake, including Love Canal.

Its No Secret continued to lead through the 1:24.3 three-quarters, but Adventurepan had stepped to the outside behind her and the other fillies were closing the gap. Around the final turn driver Jody Jamieson shifted Love Canal into gear and the filly circled around her peers and was within two lengths of the leader when she reached the 1:38.2 seven-eighths.

In the stretch Love Canal simply sailed by Its No Secret, completing a :27 final quarter to secure a three length victory. The daughter of Badlands Hanover stopped the clock in an impressive 1:52.3, just shy of the 1:52 Ontario Sires Stakes record shared by Apogee Hanover and Chancey Lady. Elimination winner Its No Secret earned the second-place share of $130,000 and Adventurepan rounded out the top three.

Moffat resident Jamieson engineered Love Canal’s second straight victory for trainer Tony O’Sullivan of Cambridge and owner-breeders Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Robert Cooper Stables LLC of Boca Raton, FL. The talented filly is out of their $448,984 winning mare A Votre Pante.

Two races later the pacing colt Gold Final featured an equally impressive performance from another Badlands Hanover offspring. Also sent off as the favourite due to his elimination victory last week, Tarpon Hanover coasted away from Post 3 and settled into fifth as OK Fantastic sprinted away to a :13 eighth and :27.2 quarter.

Driver Scott Zeron continued to sit patiently through OK Fantastic’s :56 half, but then decided it was time to roll and Tarpon Hanover went from five and one-quarter lengths off the pace at the half to a two and one-quarter length lead by the 1:23.4 three-quarters. Three lengths ahead at the 1:37.1 seven-eighths, Tarpon Hanover hit the wire five and one-quarter lengths on top in a Canadian season’s best 1:51.4. OK Fantastic stayed game for second, holding off a charging Mach Pride.

A son of Badlands Hanover and prolific producer Tarport Herald, Tarpon Hanover was an $82,000 purchase at last fall’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale by trainer David Menary of Cheltenham, Brad Gray of Dundas, Bruce Norris of Caledon East and Denis Breton of Welland. Oakville resident Zeron also piloted the colt to last week’s 1:52.4 elimination victory.

Both Tarpon Hanover and Love Canal will have an opportunity to match their Gold Series sweep when the two-year-old pacing colts and fillies journey to Rideau Carleton Raceway in Ottawa on July 15 and 22. Mohawk Racetrack welcomes the two-year-old trotting colts for their second Gold Series start on Monday, July 16.

For complete results please go to Mohawk Racetrack Results — July 6, 2012