CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Mohawk Racetrack presents a double bill of Ontario Sires Stakes action on Monday when the two-year-old pacing fillies return to the Campbellville oval for their $130,000 Gold Final and the three-year-old pacing colts arrive for a pair of $63,000 Gold Eliminations.

Reigning champion To Helen Back will start from Post 2 in the Gold Final and owner Mike Shunock will be front and centre as the talented young pacer takes aim on a second Gold Final trophy.

“I go all the time. I don’t miss any races. I flew up and then I drove up to Ottawa,” says the Toronto resident. “So far she’s done what we’ve asked, now we just hope she can keep getting a little better.”

To Helen Back made her Ontario Sires Stakes debut in the July 17 Gold Elimination at Rideau Carleton Raceway in Ottawa, finishing second by half a length. One week later in the $130,000 Final the daughter of Astreos easily bested the field of nine to claim her first provincial hardware and her second win of the season.

Jason Libby trains the winner of $97,301 and Shunock is quick to credit the Ingersoll resident with To Helen Back’s success.

“Jason gets all the credit really,” says the long time owner. “He’s the one that selected her and he’s the one that has taken the time and patience to bring her along.”

Libby plucked To Helen Back out of the 2004 Canadian Classic Yearling Sale for $27,000 and the half sister to sophomore Gold Series regular Helena Handbag impressed the pair right from her early lessons.

“She just did everything right. We didn’t have to show her anything twice,” recalls Shunock. “And she had a great temperament.”

Oddly enough, the filly’s laid back temperament was one of the few things that worried Shunock about To Helen Back.

“I was a little concerned, people would pet her in her stall and I would say, �Stop it. You’re going to maker her a pet instead of a racehorse,'” he says. “I was surprised when she showed an attitude on the racetrack. I thought she would be as docile as she is in the stall.”

To Helen Back and driver Mark MacDonald will be looking to show their peers a little more of that race day attitude on Monday, as they square off against a talented line up including elimination winners Valkyrie Hanover from Post 4, Sun N Sand from Post 5 and Style from Post 9.

Flanking the fillies’ $130,000 battle are a pair of Gold Eliminations for the gritty three-year-old pacing colts. Among the colts hoping to make a return trip to Mohawk for their own Gold Final is reigning champ Noble Jake, who will be looking to atone for a break in the July 30 Canadian Breeders Championship. The Astreos son made a break heading to the quarter pole, recovered and actually crossed the finish line in front, two and a half lengths ahead of runner Lincoln Parke, but was placed back to ninth for causing interference while on the break.

“I didn’t see anything that was wrong with him that caused him to break,” says trainer Chris Christoforou, Sr. of Campbellville, who shares ownership on the gelding with breeder Banjo Farms of Toronto. “He came out of it good, he seems okay.”

Noble Jake and driver Chris Christoforou, Jr. will be looking for a significantly different result from Post 9 in the fourth race. The pair need a top five finish to advance through to the Gold Final and give Noble Jake an opportunity to defend the title he earned with a 1:51.4 victory at Hiawatha Horse Park on July 9.

Hoping to advance out of the second elimination is Ben Wallace trainee Zooka, who has been sporting a new look since the Hiawatha Gold Series.

“Obviously we were just trying to make a better horse out of him. He always trained decent without hopples, so I thought it might sweeten him up if I could get away without them,” says Wallace of the colt’s evolution into a free-legged pacer. “You always run the risk of him making a break, but I think he’s been a better horse his last four starts because of it.”

Since Wallace took the hopples out of Zooka’s equipment bag the Astreos son has recorded a third in his July 2 Gold Elimination and a second to Noble Jake in the July 9 Final, a second in his Canadian Breeders Championship elimination and a third in the Final for earnings of $67,344.

“I think it’s something that’s not done enough of,” adds the Milton resident, who shares ownership on Zooka with James Millier of Dorchester. “We get locked into a routine and we’re too afraid to roll the dice on whether they’ll stay gaited.”

Mohawk Racetrack fans can catch Zooka’s new look from Post 2 in Race 7. Racing gets under way at 7:20 pm at Mohawk and the Ontario Sires Stakes events are slated as Races 4, 5 and 7. Fans can also catch all the excitement on Race Night on The Score from 7:30 to 10 pm.

For a complete list of entries please go to:

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