GLOUCESTER, ON — In their 2005 Ontario Sires Stakes debut at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday, Shes Almost Famous and Trace Of Luck captured the first two Gold Series Eliminations in what is shaping up to be a viciously competitive three-year-old pacing filly division.
Kicking off the impressive show was Shes Almost Famous, who edged out local favourite Serenity Seelster for the 1:54.2 victory.
Leaving from Post 2 the Apaches Fame daughter and Rick Zeron sat near the back of the pack in the opening stages, as much as 10 lengths behind pacesetter Fannies Fortune who buzzed the fillies through fractions of :26.3, :56.1 and 1:25. Heading for the halfway marker Zeron sent Shes Almost Famous up the outside behind Lucks Mistress, benefiting from the wind break until the top of the stretch when she pulled clear and powered to the quarter length victory.
Serenity Seelster sat tucked in behind Fannies Fortune throughout the mile and finished a strong second for trainer John MacMillan of Spencerville, Glenn Bechtel of Kingston and Garth Bechtel of Caledon Village. Fannies Fortune rounded out the top three, only three quarters of a length behind Shes Almost Famous, for Robert B. Chapple of Chatham.
Shes Almost Famous, who earned $212,147 in the Ontario Sires Stakes program at two, is owned by All In Stride Stable of Pickering and trainer Jeffrey Gillis of Guelph. The daughter of $276,915 winner Best Lady prepped for Sunday’s elimination with a 1:53.3 win in a May 7 qualifier at Mohawk Racetrack and a runner-up finish to Trace Of Luck in a May 12 overnight event at Woodbine Racetrack.
Sent off as the heavy favourite by Rideau Carleton fans, Shes Almost Famous returned $2.80 on a win ticket, $2.70 for a place wager and $2.20 to show. Sixth choice Serenity Seelster paid her local fans $4.90 to place and $6.20 to show, while fourth choice Fannies Fortune’s third-place effort was worth $3.40 to her supporters. The exactor returned $25.50, the triactor paid $255.00 and adding fourth-place finisher KG Delight into the mix for a superfecta play nabbed fans $576.80. Fifth-place finisher Lucks Mistress also advanced into next Sunday’s $130,000 Gold Final.
In the second elimination Trace Of Luck and Michael Horner opted to control the pace, fending off early challenges from Lady D M and favourite Lady Dillinger and then cruising through the remainder of the mile to record the 1:54.3 victory.
Owned by trainer Mark Horner of St. Marys, Susan McNeight of St. Marys and Dennis Fairall of Windsor, the win was Trace Of Luck’s second on the season. The Northern Luck miss got the best of Shes Almost Famous in a May 12 event at Woodbine Racetrack, finished fourth in a May 5 overnight at the Toronto oval and captured her April 30 qualifier at Mohawk in 1:56.3.
Trace Of Luck made just two starts in the Ontario Sires Stakes program as a two-year-old, her only losses in a nine race season that saw her earn $65,196. A sister to a trio of $100,000-plus winners, she was a $9,000 bargain at the 2003 Kentucky Standardbred Yearling Sale.
The fans’ second choice, Trace Of Luck returned $5.90, $3.70 and $2.40, fourth choice Lady D M paid $5.00 to place and $2.70 to show and Lady Dillinger returned $2.10 for her third-place effort. The 4 – 8 exactor was worth $36.50 and the triactor rang up as $149.10. Fourth-place finisher Dream Island will join her peers in the May 29 Gold Final.
Post positions for the $130,00 Gold Final showdown at Rideau Carleton Raceway are as follows:
Post 1 Serenity Seelster
Post 2 Fannies Fortune
Post 3 Lucks Mistress
Post 4 Lady D M
Post 5 Dream Island
Post 6 Lady Dillinger
Post 7 Trace Of Luck
Post 8 Shes Almost Famous
Post 9 KG Delight
AE1 Perched
AE2 Eye Max