ELMIRA, ON — Driver Ray McLean, Jr. piloted a pair of three-year-old pacing fillies into the Elmira Raceway winner’s circle on Friday night, capturing two of the three Trillium Series events on the program.
McLean kicked off his successful night with a victory behind Village Baroque in the first race. Leaving from Post 1 the duo tucked in behind pacesetter Unchained Speed as that filly reeled off fractions of :28.2, :59 and 1:28.2. As the field straightened out in the stretch McLean hit the accelerator and Village Baroque pulled away to score a one and one-quarter length victory over the early leader, stopping the clock in 1:57.2.
Cambridge resident Mike Keeling trains Village Baroque for Charles Armstrong of Brampton. It was the Artsplace filly’s second win of the season and boosted her lifetime earnings to $30,279.
Sent off as the fans’ fourth choice, Village Baroque returned $11.40, $3.10 and $2.70 with her win. Favourite Unchained Speed returned a modest $2.20 and $2.10 for her runner-up effort and third choice Maddy Girl was worth $2.10 on the show ticket.
McLean made his second appearance in the Elmira winner’s enclosure after Race 8 when he masterminded a 1:58.1 wire-to-wire victory for Northern Sky. The Northern Luck daughter went unchallenged through the race, leaving Unique X Ample three lengths behind and Duel another two back.
Jack Darling of Windsor trains Northern Sky for his partner Dan Smith of Dorchester. The talented pacing miss has bank rolled just over $400,000 in the last two seasons, including a win in the Rose Red Series final at Hazel Park on May 24 and a third-place finish in the 2001 Breeders Crown.
In the second Trillium contest McLean missed the hat trick by just two and three-quarter lengths, finishing second with Trys Lucky Lady. The duo were bested by favourite Hornby Heart, who stopped the clock at 1:57.3.
John Grant of Hornby bred and owns Hornby Heart, who logged her second win with the effort. The Camluck filly is trained by Jeffrey Boyd and Elmira resident Jim McLure steered her to the victory. Nems Sis rounded out the top three.
The three-year-old pacing fillies will part ways for their next event, with the Grassroots competitors heading for Sarnia’s Hiawatha Horse Park on June 22 and the Gold Series regulars competing at Woodbine Racetrack on June 17 and 24. They will not return to Trillium Series action until August 25, when Dresden Raceway rolls out its red carpet for the hard-working fillies.
Elmira Raceway hosts its next Ontario Sires Stakes event on Canada Day, July 1 when the two-year-old pacing fillies will launch their Grassroots season.