CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Mohawk Racetrack fans were treated to four $40,000 Gold Series Eliminations by the two-year-old trotting fillies on Thursday evening and Peach Martini scored her third straight elimination win with a 1:57.3 effort.
Oakville, ON resident Rick Zeron fired Peach Martini away from the starting gate, but three of her peers had the same idea so the fillies were well around the first turn before Peach Martini took command of the front end. Zeron and Peach Martini logged the :28.2 opening quarter, but Guelph, ON resident Anthony MacDonald soon had My Whispering Eye off the rail and rocketing toward the lead, which they reached before the :58.3 half.
Once he had command of the race, MacDonald attempted to put a little distance between My Whispering Eye and the field, reaching the 1:28.1 three-quarters with a three and one-quarter length lead and turning for home with a little over two lengths to spare. However, as My Whispering Eye took aim on the finish she left some room to her left and Zeron was able to guide Peach Martini up the rail to a two length victory.
My Whispering Eye had to settle for second in the 1:57.3 mile, with Life Class two more lengths back in third.
Zeron trains and drives Peach Martini for his partners Michael Katz of Thornhill, ON, Stephen Waldman of Toronto, ON and Rojan Stables of Wilmington, DE. The partners currently share three Gold Elimination trophies, and have cheered the Striking Sahbra daughter on to one second and one fifth-place result in Gold Final action. Peach Martini will be aiming to add a Gold Final trophy to her collection from Post 8 in next Thursday’s $130,000 contest.
Enchantment picked up her second straight Gold Elimination win in the fourth race, getting a carefully engineered steer from Lynden, ON resident Keith Oliver. After an early break in the Aug. 9 Gold Final, Oliver eased Enchantment off the starting gate from Post 1 and dropped the filly into fifth as South Bay and Oh Sweet Baby battled to the :14.1 opening eighth and the :29 quarter.
With Oh Sweet Baby continuing to lead the field through the :59.1 half, Oliver sent Enchantment up the outside and was able to draft along behind Quantum Victoria heading to the 1:29.1 three-quarters. Rolling off the final turn Oliver sent Enchantment circling around Quantum Victoria and the filly powered by the leaders to a one and one-quarter length victory in 1:58.1. Pacesetter Oh Sweet Baby stayed game for second and pocket sitter South Bay stayed on her heels for third.
William Companion trains Enchantment for his Common Sense Stable of Rockwood, ON and KOR Stable Limited of Guelph, ON. Through one Grassroots and three Gold Series starts the Angus Hall filly has logged two wins and two last place finishes. She will attempt to avoid the latter from Post 4 in her second Gold Final appearance.
The contestants in the third $40,000 Gold Elimination put on a thrill show for Mohawk fans that saw lightly regarded Eagle Canada blaze a trail up the centre of the racetrack to a neck victory over Dancin Darlin and reigning Gold Final champion Extraordinaire.
As the fillies sprinted away from the starting gate, Milton, ON resident Randy Waples and Marys Out Cruisin thumbed their noses at fan favourites Extraordinaire and Wayne Henry, forcing the two-time Gold Final champions to ring up a :13.3 eighth and a :28.4 quarter parked on the outside. Once Extraordinaire reached the front, Henry slammed on the brakes and the fillies bunched up en route to a 1:00.2 half and a 1:30.3 three-quarters.
The pedestrian middle fractions kept everyone in the game, and as the field swung off the final turn they all honed in on the finish line. Sitting sixth at the three-quarters, Eagle Canada had the sharpest kick home and claimed a neck victory in 1:59.2. Dancin Darlin, who led the charge up the outside, earned the runner-up’s share of the $40,000 purse, and Extraordinaire finished third and had to rely on luck of the draw for a chance to defend her title.
Only the top two finisher’s from the four Gold Eliminations were guaranteed a spot in next Thursday’s Gold Final, with two third-place finisher’s advancing through a random draw. Fortunately for her connections, Extraordinaire was one of the lucky third-place finishers, along with South Bay from the fourth race.
Thursday’s outing was Eagle Canada’s first in her shiny new trotting hopples, and the equipment change clearly agreed with the daughter of Kadabra, who is trained by Guelph, ON resident Gregg McNair for owner-breeder Frank Dettore Horse Racing in North Ridgeville, OH. Prior to the addition of hopples to her harness bag, Eagle Canada had posted a fifth and a sixth in Ontario Sires Stakes competition.
In the first elimination Beach Party AS got a perfect trip behind Harlow Seelster before popping out of the pocket in the stretch to secure her first victory in 1:59.3. Harlow Seelster finished one and three-quarter lengths back in second, while former Grassroots winner Shez So Striking rounded out the top three.
Annete Lorentzon trains the homebred daughter of Kadabra and Donella AS for ACL Stuteri AB of Paris, KY. Peter Wallinder engineered Thursday evening’s victory and will attempt to repeat it from Post 1 in next week’s Gold Final.
The complete line up for the Thursday, Aug. 26 Gold Final at Mohawk Racetrack is as follows:
$130,000 Gold Final — Thursday, Aug. 26 at Mohawk Racetrack
Post 1 Beach Party AS
Post 2 Extraordinaire
Post 3 Oh Sweet Baby
Post 4 Enchantment
Post 5 My Whispering Eye
Post 6 Eagle Canada
Post 7 South Bay
Post 8 Peach Martini
Post 9 Dancin Darlin
Post 10 Harlow Seelster
For complete results please go to: Mohawk Racetrack Results — Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010