FRASERVILLE, ON — Kawartha Downs fans were treated to record breaking Ontario Sires Stakes action for the second week in a row on Saturday night when local favourite Meadowview Sunny captured the two-year-old trotting colts’ season opening Gold Final.
In the elimination round last weekend Meadowview Sunny and driver Doug Brown carved their names into the track’s record books with a 1:59.1 victory. This week the duo scorched under the wire a full second faster in 1:58.1, missing the all-time Ontario Sires Stakes record for two-year-old trotting colts on a five-eighths mile track by just one-fifth of a second.
Leaving from Post 4 Brown and Meadowview Sunny fought Heavy Raincoat to the :28.2 opening quarter, leaving the rest of the field more than four lengths behind them. At that point Brown decided to settle Meadowview Sunny in behind Heavy Raincoat and was content to see Lukes Thomas apply pressure to the leader through :58.3 half.
By the 1:27. 1 three-quarters Meadowview Sunny was on the move up the outside behind Lukes Thomas and by the top of the Kawartha Downs stretch the Classic Adam colt was poised to deliver the same finishing kick that had secured him the elimination victory. Although Kingdom and Rick Zeron closed hard from fourth, it was Meadowview Sunny by a nose in the win photo.
Heavy Raincoat had to settle for third, with Curlys First Lazer and Lukes Thomas finishing fourth and fifth to earn a share of the $130,000 purse and their second set of points toward the year-end Super Final.
Charles Reid of Orono bred and owns Meadowview Sunny and Stayner’s Paul Shakes trains the talented young trotter. The men have been partners for more than a decade and are crossing their fingers that Meadowview Sunny is the extra-special horse they have waiting on. Saturday’s victory pushed the youngsters earnings to $80,981 after just two starts.
The two-year-old trotting colts meet for their second Gold Series Eliminations on July 29 at Elmira Raceway, with the Final scheduled for Aug. 5. Ontario Sires Stakes excitement also returns to Kawartha Downs on the Civic Holiday weekend, with the three-year-old pacing fillies squaring off in their fourth Grassroots event on Saturday, Aug. 3.