DUNDAS, OCT. 24, 2001 — After a season of gritty Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series competition the three-year-old pacing colts are set for their last Gold Elimination showdown on Saturday, Oct. 27 at Flamboro Downs.
Races 2 and 8 on Flamboro’s 3 pm program, the Gold Elimination races for the talented pacing colts will offer purses of $55,516 and $56,506. Also up for grabs at Flamboro’s half-mile oval this Saturday are eight coveted spots in the $100,000 Gold Series Final on Nov. 3, the last OSS event at the Dundas track for 2001.
Eager for his three-year-old entry to be one of the top eight performers is Milton resident Ben Wallace. Wallace will be watching when Albert Albert son Ton of Diamonds comes out of the gate from Post 4 in Race 8 on Oct. 27.
“The goal this Saturday is to get him into the Final on Nov. 3,” states Wallace, who conditions Ton of Diamonds for Mottram Stable of Mississauga. “Ton of Diamonds went in 1:56 his last time out so he’s proven that he can handle the Flamboro track — he was just beat out by a head in the Confederation Cup — and he is going into this weekend full of confidence.”
Wallace’s strategy this season was to race Ton Of Diamonds lightly in the early going in order to be ready for the tight schedule and big prizes at the end of the year.
“He has been lightly raced if you look at his starts in the spring and summer, and that is why he is as good as ever right now. He will be in the Elimination this weekend and hopefully the Final after that. He is also eligible for the Sires Stakes Super Final and the Canadian Breeders,” says Wallace.
Ton of Diamonds currently sits in fourth position on the Gold Series division leader board and is all but guaranteed a place at the starting gate in the $250,000 OSS Super Final.
“He is just full of himself and I think that he’ll pay back in big numbers,” declares an optimistic Wallace. “I am really looking forward to racing him this weekend.”
The veteran conditioner is expecting his colt to face tough competition from N Xample, who sits second in the point standings and will start from Post Position 3 on Saturday.
The sophomore pacing colts are featured in Races 2 and 8 on Flamboro Downs’ 3 pm program Saturday. The top four finishers from each Elimination will return to Flamboro next weekend for the last Gold Series Final of their careers.