CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Kevin O’Reilly’s statement that Mystic River could be a sleeper in this season’s three-year-old trotting filly division proved prophetic Sunday night, as the Kadabra daughter swept down the Mohawk Racetrack stretch to claim the first $130,000 Gold Final of the 2009 campaign.

Second in her elimination last weekend, Mystic River started from Post 7 on Sunday night with Cambridge resident Jody Jamieson in the race bike. Elimination winner Butana stepped out to a lively :27.3 opening quarter, but Jamieson opted to ease Mystic River away from the starting gate and the pair settled in eighth on the rail behind the filly’s stablemate SOS Respect.

As another elimination winner, Mets Inn, led the field to a :57.2 half, SOS Respect started up the outside and Mystic River went along for the ride. By the 1:26.3 three-quarters the O’Reilly trainees were sitting sixth and seventh on the outside, in a parade of fillies led by fan favourite Cumin First.

Turning for home Mets Inn had a small advantage over Daylon Mystique and Cumin First, but the powerful headwind that greeted the trio of pacesetters took the starch out of their sails and left the door open for the group that had been tucked in behind. Mystic River demonstrated all of the talent O’Reilly had predicted, laying down the sharpest last quarter and earning the victory by three-quarters of a length.

SOS Respect held on for second, completing the exactor for the O’Reilly stable, and Magic Sassy rounded out the top three. Mets Inn held on for fourth, while Cumin First settled for the last piece of the $130,000 Gold Final pie.

Moffat resident O’Reilly trains Mystic River for Chris Ryder of Allentown, NJ, Deena Rachel Frost of Delray Beach, FL and Max Wernick of New City, NY. Sunday’s victory was the filly’s first in seven starts and boosted her lifetime earnings to $86,725.

The sharp headwind was also a factor in the three Gold Eliminations for sophomore trotting colts that preceded the Gold Final. In the first $40,000 elimination, Hitithard and Equity stormed by the leaders and battled down the stretch to reach the wire just a neck apart in 1:57.4. Hitithard edged out fan favourite Equity for the win, with Striking Lindsey completing the top three. Fourth-place finisher Structure Fire also earned a berth in next Monday’s Gold Final, winning the draw among all the fourth-place colts.

A steady performer in the freshman ranks last season, Hitithard races out of the John Ciarpelli barn for owners Anne Della Maestra of Waterdown and Faye Antoniou of Waterloo. Jody Jamieson engineered the victory, making the first of three appearances in the Mohawk winner’s circle on Sunday.

Veteran reinsman Jack Moiseyev put the knowledge he gained in the first elimination to use with fan favourite Parlay in Race 4. The Moffat resident sent the Kadabra colt to the front from Post 6, but rang up sedate fractions of :29.2, :59.3 and 1:29.2, ensuring the young trotter had enough left in the tank to bring home his fifth win with a 1:58.3 clocking.

Co-favourite Zero Boundaries was one and a half lengths back in second, with Senator Hall two more lengths to the rear in third.

Ricky MacPhee of Cambridge trains Parlay for his partners Harris O’Brien of Fort Erie and Robby Wiratmo Wibawa of Mississauga. Since beginning his career in mid-March, Parlay has amassed a record of five wins and one second in six starts for earnings of $69,800. The colt captured two legs of the Tie Silk Series at Woodbine Racetrack in April before losing by three-quarters of a length in the final to rival Breewood Gringo.

Aboard I Won’t Dance in the last elimination, Trevor Ritchie emulated Moiseyev’s tactics, coasting through fractions of :29.3, 1:00 and 1:29.1 before boogeying down the stretch to a two and a half length triumph in 1:58.1. Breewood Gringo survived the first over trip to earn runner-up honours and Lexis Amigo closed well to nail down the last spot in the May 25 Gold Final.

Sunday’s outing was just the third lifetime start for I Won’t Dance, who is trained by Per Henriksen for M. Biasuzzi Stable Inc., of Ft. Pierce, FL.

The three-year-old trotting colts will assemble behind the Mohawk Racetrack starting gate on Monday, May 25 for their first shot at a $130,000 Gold Final purse, and I Won’t Dance will benefit from Post 1. The rest of the field will line up as follows:

Post 1 I Wont Dance

Post 2 Senator Hall

Post 3 Striking Lindsey

Post 4 Lexis Amigo

Post 5 Breewood Gringo

Post 6 Zero Boundaries

Post 7 Structure Fire

Post 8 Hitithard

Post 9 Equity

Post 10 Parlay

For complete results please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/results/data/r0517mohsn.dat.