INNISFIL, ON — After piloting a pair of three-year-old trotting fillies to Gold Elimination success at Georgian Downs last weekend, driver Trevor Ritchie was faced with a dilemma — which filly would he steer in this Saturday’s $130,000 Gold Final?

“It’s a good problem to have,” admits the reinsman, who specializes in driving trotters. “It’s better than not having choices.”

Ritchie captured the first Gold Elimination last Saturday with Movin Over, who delivered a strong come-from-behind effort to post the 1:59 victory for trainer Stacy Ann Beckley and William Beckley of Cambridge. Four races later the Acton resident and Maple Sugar carved all the fractions before getting caught in the stretch by Caught My Eye, who pulled away to a track record 1:56.4 victory. Susanne Kerwood of Rockwood trains Maple Sugar for her partners Canamerica Capital Corp. of Milton and Enviro Stables Ltd. of Miami, FL.

“That was the first time since the qualifier (May 11) that I’d let her roll out of there, and I thought she raced exceptionally well,” says Ritchie of Maple Sugar’s runner-up performance.

“The other horse was also a very nice mare. I’d never driven her before and she raced a tough trip,” he continues. “I really liked her, but I’ve been working with this filly (Maple Sugar) and Susie for a while.”

Having driven Maple Sugar in all four of her sophomore starts, including a win in her June 1 Casual Breeze division at Mohawk Racetrack, Ritchie opted to maintain his position in her race bike for Saturday’s contest, leaving the mount on Movin Over to Dave Boughton.

With the advantageous Post 1 in Saturday’s nine filly field, Georgian Downs handicappers have pegged Maple Sugar as their early favourite and Ritchie hopes the Malabar Maple daughter can use the post position to her advantage. While she carved all the fractions in last week’s elimination, Maple Sugar’s Casual Breeze victory and a third-place finish in her first start of the season were both the result of come from behind tactics.

“I don’t think the rail will hurt her. She seems pretty good at anything I’ve asked her to do so far,” he explains. “She seems pretty flexible.”

Ritchie will have an eye out for Movin Over from Post 4, and the other elimination winner Brigham Dream from Post 9 in Saturday’s Final, but says that Caught My Eye seems to be the biggest threat based on her record setting performance last weekend.

“Of course, you get to the Final and everyone is gung-ho, it’s never easy, but Billy O’Donnell’s mare (Caught My Eye) is the one that everyone’s going to have their eye out for,” says the veteran reinsman. “She didn’t draw near as well as we did, so that will be a problem for her, but going into the race she’d be the logical one that you’d keep an eye on.”

Caught My Eye and Hall of Fame horseman O’Donnell will make their bid for a second straight victory from Post 8 in Saturday’s contest, which is slated as Race 9 on Georgian Downs’s 7:35 pm program.

For complete entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/egeodfsa.html#N9