GLOUCESTER, ON — Maleficent surprised Rideau Carleton Raceway fans on Thursday evening, employing her trademark come-from-behind style to score an upset in the second of two Gold Series Eliminations.

Sent off as the fifth choice in the field of three-year-old trotting fillies, Maleficent and trainer-driver Tom Durand got away last from Post 3 and sat at the back of the pack right up until the fillies turned for home. As pacesetter Ja El Ginger started to tire Maleficent kicked into high gear and powered to a one length victory in 1:57.2.

Honour Way landed in second while fan favourite and reigning Gold Final champion World Class Image settled for third.

The win was Maleficent’s first in a season that has seen her earn $90,496 by sweeping down the stretch to scoop up the leftovers. Through nine starts she boasts a record of one win, two seconds, two thirds, two fourths and one fifth.

Durand trains the filly, a Gold Final winner at two, for his wife June Durand of Puslinch and breeders Thomas and Sherri Vincent of Belwood. The pair will take a run at another Gold Final trophy from Post 7 in next Thursday’s $130,000 contest.

Also advancing to next week’s Gold Final from the second elimination were fourth-place finisher Southern Senorita and Ja El Ginger, who won the draw between fifth-place finishers to land the last spot on the gate.

While Maleficent’s victory took fans by surprise, the first elimination played out according to expectations when Whatthehecklavec cruised to a two and one-quarter length victory in 1:57.3. With trainer-driver Randy Fritz in the race bike the Mr Lavec daughter took control of the race heading toward the halfway marker and was never challenged en route to her seventh win of the season.

Elena picked up the second-place finisher’s share of the $51,425 purse and Whispering Girl rounded out the top three. Also returning for next week’s lucrative Final is World Class Image’s stablemate Check And Balance, who made a costly break late in the race that left her nine lengths behind the leader in fourth.

Carlisle resident Fritz trains Whatthehecklavec for his partners, and the filly’s breeders, Jennifer and Gwendowyn Unger of Caledon East. The filly made the leap up from the Grassroots to the top tier in the July 22 Canadian Breeders Championship Elimination and has been delivering impressive miles ever since. Fifth in her Canadian Breeders Elimination, she captured the July 30 Final with a 1:57 personal best effort and then returned to Mohawk to post a 1:57.1 win in her first Gold Series Elimination. In the Aug. 18 Final she was just edged out by World Class Image, finishing a neck back in second.

Whatthehecklavec will benefit from Post 1 in next week’s Gold Final and World Class Image will follow her out from the trailing Post 9. The complete list of post positions for the Sept. 1 Gold Final at Rideau Carleton Raceway is as follows:

Post 1 Whatthehecklavec

Post 2 Elena

Post 3 Southern Senorita

Post 4 Whispering Girl

Post 5 Honour Way

Post 6 Check And Balance

Post 7 Maleficent

Post 8 Ja El Ginger

Post 9 World Class Image

AE1 Patti Royal

AE2 Merry Rules

AE3 Youlooklikeanangel

For complete Gold Elimination results please go to:

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