WINDSOR, ON — In last week’s Gold Series Eliminations at Windsor Raceway the two-year-old pacing colts proved they had the raw talent to go along with their blue-blooded pedigrees. This Wednesday the top nine colts will put that talent to the test for the second time in the $130,000 Gold Final.
Three of Bob McIntosh’s colts advanced to Wednesday’s Final, but with Stonebridge Premio and Rustys Gold drawing Posts 8 and 9 the Windsor resident believes Make It Brief will be the only one with a legitimate shot at reaching the winner’s circle.
“The eight and nine-hole are definitely going to be a little bit of trouble,” he says. “But hopefully Make It Brief can make something happen from the rail.”
Make It Brief impressed McIntosh by capturing his elimination in 1:57, off a trip more often seen in a class of older pacers. The son of Camluck and Lingerie was shuffled back on the rail through the early going and then had to move up the outside to score the half length win.
“Last week I was pretty impressed with his versatility. He raced like an old horse and won kind of handy,” says McIntosh. “For his first lifetime start it was very impressive.”
McIntosh shares ownership on Make It Brief, whose siblings have earned an average of $112,517 each, with his brother Al McIntosh of Leamington and Michael Kohler of Sterling Heights, MI.
Rustys Gold finished second to Make It Brief and McIntosh says that while the Rustler Hanover-Apple Country son had some steering problems that will be corrected this week, he will be hampered significantly by Post 9.
“He was bearing in a bit last week and that cost him a few lengths so we’ll work on that this week, but the nine-hole is tough at Windsor,” says the veteran horseman who trains the colt for Joe Holloway of Freehold, NJ and John Celii of Chads Ford, PA.
Stonebridge Premio captured his elimination with a wire-to-wire 1:56.2 effort and while McIntosh’s excitement about the son of Camluck and Fran Seelster has not dimmed, he does not expect the brother to $610,613 winner Stonebridge First to capture his first Gold Final win from Post 8.
“I’ve been high on him all along and I think he’s a hell of a colt,” says McIntosh, who trains the colt for Robert Waxman of Ancaster. “With the eight-hole — and it’s not the last start of the year, it’s the beginning — I just hope he can overcome it and not get hurt too much.
“It’s a long grind and this is just the first start,” adds the 2001 Johnston Cup winner. “My three colts, I wouldn’t trade with anybody.”
With the depth of talent and pedigree in Wednesday’s Gold Final, McIntosh predicts an exciting race for Windsor fans.
“Bill Budd’s colt (Sir Luck) is extremely fast and that one of Robinson’s (Twin B Dynamic) has a great pedigree and he’s a nice colt,” he says. “Bill Budd’s colt really impressed me with the way he made a break and came back to finish second.
“The pedigrees are getting better and the horses are getting better every year. It’s comparable to New Jersey now. It would be interesting to have a race at the end of the year with the five top Ontario breds and five top New Jersey breds. I wouldn’t be afraid of them that’s for sure,” he adds.
Windsor Raceway kicks off its midweek program at 7:25 pm and nine of the finest two-year-old pacing colts bred and raised in Ontario will line up behind the starting gate in Race 11 on Wednesday night.