SARNIA — With four talented colts making the return trip to Hiawatha Horse Park for the $130,000 Gold Final on Thursday night, trainer Bill Robinson has a legitimate chance to sweep the top three placings. However, the Hagersville resident says the competition is so tough in the three-year-old pacing colt division that the outcome is impossible to call.

“I couldn’t pick a winner if you paid me,” says Robinson, Canada’s Trainer of the Year in 2002. “I like my four, I like Sir Luck, Killer Rabbit went a big trip last week; I think I’m going to blame this one on the drivers.”

Robinson trainees captured both Gold Series Eliminations last week, HBFs Storm off a front end effort in 1:52.3 and Mt Vernon Hanover with a come-from-behind performance in 1:54.3. And Twin B Dynamic and Keepen Lucky logged second and fourth-place performances to earn their way into Thursday night’s lucrative Final.

While odds-makers have pegged HBFs Storm as their top choice after the colt drew the rail in Monday’s post position draw, Robinson says Mt Vernon Hanover has always been his favourite.

“I think he’s my favourite. I liked him even at two,” says the veteran horseman. “I think he’s the best one in there with the right trip. You can’t use him real hard leaving — we can’t teach him that, he just won’t do it — but he’s got lots of pace at the end of the mile.”

The Rustler Hanover son earned $137,855 as a two-year-old, capturing six of nine races including a $104,296 division of the Champlain Stakes, for owners Deena Rachel Frost of Delray Beach, FL, Gerald Smiley of Cote-St-Luc, QC, Norman Smiley of Boca Raton, FL and Sampson Street Stables of Old Forge, PA. Greg Wright, Jr., who drove the colt to his elimination win, will pilot Mt Vernon Hanover from Post 4 on Thursday.

Last week’s elimination win was a return to winning form for HBFs Storm. The Native Born son captured his first four starts this season, culminating with a 1:51.4 win in the Mar. 28 leg of the Youthful Series at Mohawk Racetrack, but seemed stalled in his development recently so Robinson was pleased to see the youngster deliver a big mile.

“He’s just a funny horse. He’s not mature enough to go fast when you want him to,” says Robinson of HBFs Storm, who did not race at two. “Starting out he was real good but then he hit the tougher ones and he couldn’t go with them. He made a break in the final of the Mohawk Series because we were pushing him to keep up, but he will learn to go fast. I like him if he shows up.”

Ray McLean, Jr. will return to the race bike Thursday, sending HBFs Storm after the lion’s share of the $130,000 purse from Post 1 for owner-breeders HBF Corporation of Farmington Hills, MI.

HBFs Storm’s win came at the expense of his stablemate Twin B Dynamic, who had been sent off as the favourite based on a pair of fourth-place finishes in the elimination and Final of the Berry’s Creek at the Meadowlands. The Camluck son and driver Randy Waples employed a come-from-behind strategy in the elimination, but Robinson expects things to be different this week.

“He’s got a bad post, but I’m going to have Randy so he’ll take care of him,” says the trainer. “I’d like to see him get in behind HBFs Storm or Sir Luck, but I think Randy will spring him. He can leave quick if he has to.”

Jeffrey Snyder of New York, NY and Lothlorien Equestrian Centre of Mississauga share ownership on Twin B Dynamic, who will be hunting for his second win of the season from Post 7 in Hiawatha’s tenth race Thursday.

The final starter from the powerful Robinson stable is Keepen Lucky, who finished three-quarters of a length behind Mt Vernon Hanover in fourth last week. The Camluck son, owned by Antonio Chiaravalle of Hamilton, gets the services of Ontario Sires Stakes veteran Ross Battin for the Final and Robinson expects another consistent effort from the colt.

“He keeps digging and I think he will get a piece of it,” says Robinson. “He may need a one, two or three-hole to win, but he’ll get a piece of it.”

Hiawatha Horse Park’s Thursday evening program begins at 7:10 pm, with the talented three-year-old pacing colts set to duel for Ontario Sires Stakes Gold in Race 10.