ELORA, ON — Grand River Raceway served as the setting for Luck Of Michelle’s latest speed demonstration as the two-year-old pacing filly shredded the Elora oval’s track record on Monday evening.

Proving that her world record performance at Flamboro Downs on June 24 was no fluke, Luck Of Michelle rocked through fractions of :27.3, :57 and 1:26.3 before accelerating home to a 1:55.2 victory. For the second week in a row the field was left gasping behind the daughter of Camluck and Michelles Destiny as she hit the wire 10 lengths ahead of Tricky and 17 lengths up on third-place finisher Tymal Trinity.

Mike Saftic piloted Luck Of Michelle to the win, which lowered Grand River’s two-year-old pacing filly record by almost four seconds and was only one and two-fifths of a second off the fastest mile ever recorded at the half-mile oval.

John Pentland trains Luck Of Michelle, a $20,000 US yearling acquisition, for Karen Carroll of Shedden and his wife Natalie Pentland of Dorchester. The exceptional filly captured a pair of qualifiers at Mohawk Racetrack before making her debut in a Flamboro Breeders division where she clocked her 1:53.3 world record.

The Pentlands were back in the winner’s circle after the last $28,745 Gold Elimination when Jans Luck and Paul Mackenzie led the field to a 1:58.4 victory.

“Now take this with a grain of salt, but Jans Luck was a bigger surprise than the other one,” said Pentland before the race. “Jans Luck is not the best gaited animal and she had me fooled. Because she was not well gaited Mike (Saftic) never pushed her in the qualifiers and I never pushed her training, but when Paul Mackenzie drove her and asked her to go, the horse had tons of pace.”

Jans Luck finished half a length ahead of Milliondollarsmile and fan favourite Third Fling. The Northern Luck daughter also made her debut in the Flamboro Breeders event on June 24, where she finished third. Natalie Pentland and CJS Stables Inc. of London own Jans Luck, who was a $22,000 acquisition out of the Forest City Yearling Sale last fall.

All four eliminations matched or bettered the former track record of 1:59.1 set by Lucky Kathy in 2004. Mario Baillargeon piloted Titanic Rose to a 1:59.1 score in the second division, hitting the wire one half length ahead of Real Beauty and three lengths ahead of Iwishihadbaytsim.

Milton resident Ben Wallace trains Titanic Rose for his partner James Millier of Dorchester. Like the Pentland fillies, Titanic Rose started her career in the Flamboro Breeders where she finished second. An $11,000 yearling purchase, Titanic Rose is the daughter of Camotion and $721,057 winner Armbro Rosebud, who was only defeated once in her freshman Ontario Sires Stakes campaign.

The other elimination went to Michelles Power, the only filly to use come from behind tactics to score the 1:58.2 victory. Dan Clements drove the Bill Elliott trainee to the two and a half length win over favourite Canadette and Fysia for owner and breeder Jeffrey Snyder of New York, NY. Another regally bred filly, Michelles Power is by Camluck and out of $695,439 winner Michelles Jackpot.

The top two finishers from each elimination will return to Grand River Raceway next Monday, July 10 for their first $130,000 Gold Final. The fillies will line up behind the starting gate as follows:

Post 1 Canadette

Post 2 Real Beauty

Post 3 Michelles Power

Post 4 Luck Of Michelle

Post 5 Tricky

Post 6 Titanic Rose

Post 7 Jans Luck

Post 8 Milliondollarsmile

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rgrvrmo.html