CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Ontario sired pacing fillies are the flavour of the night at Mohawk Racetrack on Friday as 11 freshman and 25 sophomores head to the Campbellville oval for Gold Elimination action.

Headlining the $102,481 two-year-old pacing filly elimination is Luck Of Michelle, who will put her flawless Ontario Sires Stakes record to the test from Post 10 in the 11 filly field.

“If we start talking about that I might use some curse words,” jokes trainer John Pentland, about the filly’s second straight outside post. “That’s really unfortunate, especially with an 11 horse field.”

The Camluck filly heads into Friday’s elimination off a pair of runner-up finishes in the She’s A Great Lady elimination and final at Mohawk, her first losses in a spectacular nine race season that saw her set a track and world record at Flamboro Downs and a track record at Grand River Raceway in her first two starts.

“She hasn’t had a poor race,” says Pentland, who trains Luck Of Michelle for his wife Natalie Pentland of Dorchester and Karen Carroll of Shedden. “Carl’s (Jamieson) horse raced great in the (She’s A Great Lady) Final, but I thought Michelle raced equally well.”

Pentland says Luck Of Michelle has bounced back nicely from her four week stretch of battling the top fillies in North America. In addition to her second-place results in the She’s A Great Lady, Luck Of Michelle captured her division of the Aug. 12 Robert Stewart Memorial and the Aug. 19 Eternal Camnation Stake.

The talented young pacer was also eligible to the Champlain Stake last week at Mohawk, but her connections opted for an extra week of rest for their stable star and Pentland says it seems to have paid off.

“She got about four days off after the She’s A Great Lady, and after the second day she was fresh and bouncing around,” notes the Dorchester resident. “She trained Monday (Sept. 11) and trained terrific.

“I think it was a wise move missing the Champlain,” he adds. “Time will tell, but I’m still not convinced you can go to all of these races.”

Before the two-year-old pacing fillies dazzle onlookers in the fifth race, their three-year-old peers will go to work in Races 2 and 4. Pentland will harness Even Now from Post 5 in the first $38,596 elimination and expects the consistent pacer to deliver another solid effort.

“She’s the ultimate grinder in the three-year-old filly division. She’s only missed one cheque all year, in the Canadian Breeders Final, and she raced very well. She just ran out of racetrack, otherwise she would have been fourth or fifth again,” says the horseman. “I don’t think she’s as talented as some of the others, truth be told, but she’s consistent.”

Pentland trains Even Now for his wife Natalie Pentland and CJS Stables Inc. of London. Through 12 starts the Rustler Hanover daughter has amassed a record of two wins, three seconds, two thirds and earnings of $133,579.

Five races later Bold Bidder will carry the Pentland stable flag from Post 4 in the last sophomore filly elimination and her trainer says the reigning Gold Final champion is right on her game.

“She’s the most underestimated filly in the division. She doesn’t get a lot of respect,” says Pentland. “But I think Bold Bidder is a top filly. She’s a really good horse.”

Karen Carroll owns the Grinfromeartoear miss, who got off to a slow start this season, but has not been worse than third in her last five starts. Through 13 outings she boasts a record of three wins, two seconds and three thirds for earnings of $138,334.

Mohawk Racetrack’s Friday evening program gets under way at 7:20 pm and the three-year-old pacing fillies will square off in Races 2, 4, and 7, with the top three finishers and one fourth-place finisher advancing to the Sept. 22 Gold Final. The two-year-old pacing fillies battle in Race 5, with all but one filly returning to Mohawk on Sept. 22 for their second last Gold Final.

For complete entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/emohsfr.html