DUNDAS, ON — Hot, humid evenings are made for speed and the three-year-old pacing colts took full advantage of the weather and track conditions at Flamboro Downs on Sunday night, lowering the track and Ontario Sires Stakes record not once, but twice.
First out of the starting gate was Armbro Warranty, who clocked an impressive wire-to-wire victory in 1:52.2, shaving four-fifths of a second off the former 1:53.1 track record set by Rustler Hanover in 1998 and one and one-fifths of a second off the OSS record of 1:53.3 set by Robo Cam at Flamboro in 1998.
Driver Paul Mackenzie took full advantage of Post 1 and fired the Village Jiffy colt to the front where they logged fractions of :26.3, :55.4 and 1:23.3 en route to the five and a half length win over favourite Daylon Frontier and Cam Bo Informal. Fourth-place finisher Im A Camedian also advanced to next weekend’s $130,000 Gold Final.
Trainer Fred Logan of Dutton shares ownership on Armbro Warranty with Petrina Lawrence and Helen May Lawrence of Madison Heights, MI and Ronald Lesky of Hazel Park, MI. The win was the colt’s third in six starts and his second in OSS competition this season, the first coming in the Grassroots season opener at Elmira Raceway on May 20. The 1:52.2 mile shaved almost two seconds off Armbro Warranty’s personal best.
Four races later Flamboro Downs fans were on their feet for the second time as Pacific Titan took one-fifth of a second off Armbro Warranty’s mark to stake his claim on a piece of Flamboro Downs history.
In his first start out of the Bill Robinson barn, Pacific Titan and driver Randy Waples sat fourth through the early stages of the race as pacesetter Silver D Moon lit up the teletimer with a :26 opening quarter and :54.4 half. As the colts passed the halfway point Waples sent Pacific Titan up the outside and the Camluck colt was on top by the 1:24.1 three-quarters.
Through the final turn Waples unleashed Pacific Titan and the colt pulled away to the two length 1:52.1 victory over Dreamfair Vogel. The mile equalled Flamboro Downs’ all-age track record, set by Oye Vay in 2000.
Hot Rod Hudson finished 13 lengths behind the leaders and The Cammisioner also advanced to the July 7 Final when Fishin Luck was placed from fourth to sixth for causing interference during the race.
John Grant of Hornby owns Pacific Titan, who could be looking at a berth in the $1 million Meadowlands Pace eliminations next weekend rather than the Gold Final. The half brother to $2.3 million winner and successful Ontario sire Pacific Rocket finished fifth in the Pepsi North America Cup, six lengths behind new stablemate Red River Hanover, and could give Robinson an unmatched five-horse entry for the Meadowlands Pace.
If Pacific Titan heads for New Jersey one of the fifth-place finishers — Three Ron Homer, owned by Leslie Nagy of Hamilton, or Daylon Harbour — could sneak into the $130,000 Final which will feature the top four colts from each elimination.