DUNDAS, ON — Australian Stock matched the oldest Ontario Sires Stakes speed record with a 1:59.3 score in freshman trotting colt Gold Elimination action at Flamboro Downs on Sunday evening.

Proving that his Gold Final victory at Grand River Raceway on Aug. 7 was no accident, Australian Stock hung up all the fractions on the way to the one length triumph. Sprinting away from Post 1 with regular reinsman Chris Christoforou, Jr. on board, Australian Stock maintained a one and one-quarter length margin through the :29.2 opening quarter, the :59.3 half and the 1:59.3 three-quarters, and then dug in through the stretch to fend off Smarty Jims and Supreme Council.

The 1:59.3 clocking equalled the Ontario Sires Stakes record set at the old Barrie Raceway by Armbro Marshall in 1993, and carved one-fifth of a second of Flamboro’s track record for freshman trotting colts.

Chris Christoforou, Sr. of Campbellville, Banjo Farms of Toronto and Alvin Stein of Ottawa share ownership on Australian Stock. Roy Jeffries trains the Angus Hall son, whose first start came in the July 31 Gold Eliminations at Grand River where he finished second in a track record mile.

Local favourite Lemon Drop picked up his second Gold Elimination trophy with a 2:00.4 score in the first trotting colt elimination. In rein to Trevor Ritchie, Lemon Drop laid down fractions of :29.2, 1:00.4 and 1:30.4 before fighting off the circling Beer Budget through the final turn and trotting home to the one and three-quarter length victory.

Beer Budget settled for second on Sunday and Frosty The Genius rounded out the top three.

Waterdown resident Scott McEneny trains Lemon Drop for the Ten To Win Stable of Waterdown, part of the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association’s (SBOA) inaugural Mentoring Program. The win was the Mr Lavec son’s third and boosts his earnings to $52,133 through six starts.

The other two trotting colt eliminations went to Think Gold and driver Jody Jamieson in 2:01.3 and Evidence As and Jack Moiseyev in 2:01. The top two finishers from each elimination will return to Flamboro Downs next Sunday to compete in one of three $130,000 Gold Finals scheduled for the Confederation Cup program.

While they did not set any track records, the two-year-old pacing colts still managed to impress Flamboro Downs fans in four Gold Eliminations on Sunday.

Domitian Hanover clocked the fastest win, setting the standard for the evening’s performances in the first race. With Chris Christoforou, Jr. in the race bike, Domitian Hanover tucked in third as Test Flight rolled the field through a :26.3 opening quarter and :56.1 half. Heading for the 1:25.2 three-quarters, Christoforou sent the Camluck colt up the outside and Domitian Hanover cruised down the stretch to a two and three-quarter length victory in 1:56.1.

Semalu Express challenged for the lead around the final turn, but had to settle for second on Sunday, and Funny Bones regained some of his early season form with a late charge to finish third.

Trained by James Dean of Campbellville for Clay Harland Horner and Scott Horner of Toronto, Domitian Hanover started his provincial campaign with a win at the Grassroots level on July 18 at Georgian Downs. The young pacer then finished third in his Battle of Waterloo elimination at Grand River Raceway on July 31, but missed the Aug. 7 consolation due to sickness. Sunday marked his first appearance at the Gold Series level.

Christoforou and Dean almost claimed a second Gold Elimination trophy with reigning Gold Final champion Raw Energy, but were nudged into second by a hard closing Gimme A Grin in the last Gold skirmish on Sunday’s talent laden program. Twin B Survivor completed the triactor in the 1:56.3 mile.

Sunday’s start was Gimme A Grin’s first since he finished third in a season opening Gold Elimination at Georgian Downs on June 17. The Grinfromeartoear son was scratched out of the June 24 Gold Final due to sickness and did not resurface until an Aug. 5 qualifier at Flamboro Downs.

Joe Pereira trains Gimme A Grin for The Merks Stable of New York, NY, who acquired the colt for just $10,000 out of last fall’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale, and Luc Ouellette engineered Sunday’s victory.

Chris Christoforou picked up the driving hat trick with a 1:58.4 win aboard Sergei Seelster in the second pacing colt elimination and Jack Moiseyev earned a double with 1:56.4 score with Manapita in Race 4.

The top two pacing colts from each Gold Eliminations will also return to Flamboro Downs on Aug. 20 for their $130,000 Gold Final.

Post positions for the two-year-old trotting colt and pacing colt Gold Finals are as follows:

TWO-YEAR-OLD TROTTING COLT GOLD FINAL

Post 1 Evidence As

Post 2 Beer Budget

Post 3 Relentless Duke

Post 4 Australian Stock

Post 5 Lemon Drop

Post 6 Think Gold

Post 7 Libra Vita

Post 8 Smarty Jims

AE1 Frosty The Genius

AE2 Senor Lavec

AE3 Tyrone Showdown

TWO-YEAR-OLD PACING COLT GOLD FINAL

Post 1 Semalu Express

Post 2 Manapita

Post 3 Raw Energy

Post 4 Au Revoir Ace

Post 5 Sergei Seelster

Post 6 Saratoga Seelster

Post 7 Domitian Hanover

Post 8 Gimme A Grin

AE1 Twin B Survivor

AE2 Timely Topic

AE3 Ultrasonic

For complete results please go to:

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