DUNDAS, ON — In a fitting finale to a remarkable weekend of Ontario Sires Stakes racing at Flamboro Downs, two-year-old pacing colt Sir Luck scorched around the half-mile oval Sunday night in a track and OSS record 1:53.4.
After making a break in the first turn of the Battle of Waterloo Final last weekend driver Mike Saftic eased Sir Luck off the gate and landed in third spot, eight lengths behind early leader Fameplay who charged out to a :26.3 opening quarter. Saftic and Sir Luck closed the gap heading toward the :56.2 half but remained in third place behind Village Blitz and Fameplay, who was pulled up by driver Chris Christoforou before reaching the third turn.
With Battle of Waterloo winner Village Blitz on the front end Saftic decided to send Sir Luck up the outside and take control of the Gold Elimination just before the 1:25.3 three-quarters. By the top of the stretch the Camluck colt had one length on the field and when Saftic asked for another gear Sir Luck pulled away to a three length victory over Au Rumba. Firstline Royal was eight lengths back in third and Dreamfair Titan also qualified for the Gold Final with his fourth-place finish.
The 1:53.4 mile took three-fifths of a second off the two-year-old pacing colt track and Ontario Sires Stakes record set by Twin B Champ in 1999.
Bill Budd of Carlisle trains Sir Luck for the C and I Siegel Racing Stable Ltd. of Brooklyn, NY. The colt was a $20,000 yearling purchase at last fall’s Harrisburg, PA sale and has already returned $222,676 from five wins, one second and one third in seven starts.
The other Gold Series Elimination went to first-time Ontario Sires Stakes starter Pinstripe Poker, who reached the front going down the backstretch the first time and refused to relinquish it. Another son of Camluck, Pinstripe Poker stopped the clock at 1:56.1, one length ahead of Jimmy Crack Cohen.
Vandango Hanover picked up the third-place finisher’s share of the $57,055 purse for owner Chester Waxman of Hamilton while Bill Budd’s other entry, Boulder Creek, earned a spot in the Gold Final with his fourth-place effort.
Ira Schwartz of Edison, NJ, Laura Delucia of Maywood, NJ and Alvin Minkoff of East Islip, NY share ownership on Pinstripe Poker, who was a $23,000 acquisition at the Harrisburg sale. The Linda Toscano trainee was making just his second lifetime start, and his first on Canadian soil after doing all his early season preparation at The Meadowlands in New Jersey.
The top four finishers from each Gold Elimination will return to Flamboro Downs next Sunday where they will battle in their third $130,000 Gold Final and attempt to upstage the sophomore pacing colts competing in the $600,000 Confederation Cup.