MILTON, October 3, 2022 – Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells famously said, “you are what your record says you are,” and Righteous Resolve’s record is screaming from the rooftops that she is the top two-year-old trotting filly in the province.
Freshman trotters wrapped up their Ontario Sires Stakes Gold campaign tonight at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and the Resolve filly won a $101,300 division to improve to 7-1-0 in 8 starts.
Four $100,000-plus OSS divisions were on the card, two apiece for males and females, and the action got underway in race two with Righteous Resolve lining up against five challengers after Northern Charlotte was a late scratch.
Paul Macdonell wasted no time sending the heavily bet 1-9 favourite to the front from post seven and leading the field through an opening panel of 27.4. After the second panel went in 57.2, it was business as usual for the filly who eventually pulled away for the three-length score in 1:54.3.
“Paul does a great job with her,” said Assistant Trainer Matt Bax. “I feel like he got a little bit of a breather to the half, and he just let her trot out, which she wanted to do, which later on in the next couple of starts that’s going to go a long way to helping her.”
A Bet Max Stables (Casco, MI) and Benenati Inc. (Clinton Township, MI) homebred, Righteous Resolve came into tonight riding a five-race win streak that included a win in the $362,000 Peaceful Way final, and was capped by a six-length score in the Champlain where she established a new stakes record of 1:53.1.
“I’d say she is very powerful and professional the way she handles herself,” sad Bax. “With a two-year-old filly that goes a long way.”
The $225,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final on October 15 at Woodbine Mohawk Park is up next for Righteous Resolve, and after that, a date with the Breeders’ Crown on October 28-29 at the Milton oval.
A pair of Muscle Mass fillies completed the trifecta. Mass Hysteria was second for trainer Kyle Bossence with Trevor Henry at the reins, and Louis Philippe-Roy drove Rob Fellows trainee Cardio Muscle to a third-place finish.
The middle two Ontario Sires Stakes divisions were upsets, with Tuscan Prince paying $18.40 in the fourth race a $103,100 division for colts and geldings, and Shiny New Penny breaking her maiden at 7-1 in race six, the other $100,400 filly division.
Tuscan Prince
Leaving from post eight Bob McClure held Tuscan Prince (Kadabra) off the pace established by Snowpiercer and Dws Point Man, who exchanged the lead through panels of 27.2, 57.1, and 1:26.1, and were dueling upfront as the field spun for home.
McClure found racing room four-wide down the stretch and the Luc Blais trainee trotted home in 27.3 to establish a new lifetime mark of 1:54.4 and earn his third OSS win this season, after a pair of Grassroots scores earlier in the campaign.
“He kind of forced them into putting him into the Golds he’s raced so good,” said McClure. “He’s been well managed for sure, and I wouldn’t want to have anything else going into the Super Final.”
Shiny New Penny is from the first crop of Alarm Detector and is the freshman stallion’s second winner.
Shiny New Penny
Last time out the Jean Tournigy trainee made a misstep while battling the aforementioned Righteous Resolve on the lead and tonight Louis-Philippe Roy was careful leaving from the pylon post, sitting back in fourth through the 29.2 first panel.
Roy left on cover behind Its Your Choice and was out in front by the time the field passed the half in 58.2. His filly had plenty of trot left and she crossed the wire in front by length in a time of 1:56.2.
“I think I made a mistake trying to follow that good filly of Bax in her last start,” said Roy. “We were going pretty fast there. Tonight, my plan was just to get her in good position, and I was pretty confident she would come out the best of it.”
Santo Vena (Cedar Valley, Ont.), Nunzio Vena (Bolton, Ont.), and Diane Ingham (Mount Pleasant, Ont.) own Shiny New Penny who nearly tripled her earnings with the win to over $84,000.
Osceola
The final OSS race of the evening was race seven, and 8-5 favourite Osceola emerged victorious.
Driven and trained by Doug and Gregg McNair respectively, the Muscle Mass colt had an up and down summer, after impressing early on with a pair of back-to-back Gold wins.
He was on his game tonight, firing to the lead from post five and cutting the mile in 1:55.1 to win by a head over a late charging Hasty Bid.
“He’s a little aggressive sometimes, and turns aren’t his forte, but he’s got a ton of trot and speed as you can see,” said Doug. “I figured tonight in the five hole it’s a real good spot to leave and get him slowed down by the turn and it worked out.”
The win pushed him over $160,000 in earnings for owners Gregg McNair (Guelph, Ont.) Willow Oak Ranch (Rogersville, TN), and Paul Hawman (Collingwood, Ont.).