WINDSOR, ON — After racing against the top trotters in North America for the last six weeks, Smooth Moves celebrated last weekend’s return to Ontario Sires Stakes action with a solid 1:57 Gold Elimination victory. Heading back to Windsor Raceway this Sunday, the three-year-old trotting colt will be among the favourites for the last $130,000 Gold Final of the season.

“In against his own kind, if he races at the top of his game, it’s obvious he can go with them,” says driver Trevor Ritchie, who teamed Smooth Moves to both of his Gold Elimination victories this season. “Harald (Lunde) had him in with some stiff competition there, so those lines aren’t quite as bad as they look.”

Smooth Moves went into last weekend’s elimination round off a three month dry spell that saw him finish no better than fourth in five starts. However, three of those starts were in Grand Circuit events at Mohawk Racetrack against the best sophomore trotting colts in North America and one was against a tough group of Mohawk regulars. Savvy Windsor fans picked up on the level of the colt’s recent competition and sent him off as their second choice in last week’s elimination, and back at Post 4 in Sunday’s Gold Final he should once again be among the favourites.

�That’s a good post I’m hoping,” says Ritchie. “He can do it either way, but likely his best trip is from behind.”

Campbellville resident Harald Lunde trains Smooth Moves for his partner Hans Enggren of New Oxford, PA, and Ritchie says some equipment changes the trainer has made through the season have benefited the Angus Hall son as he heads into the Gold Series homestretch.

“He can be tricky to drive. For a while there he got very aggressive, but Harald changed some equipment and he got to be a gentleman,” says the trotting specialist. “Last week was the first time I have driven him in a little while and he was pretty good. Hopefully it continues again this week.

“He does everything right as long as he relaxes enough.”

Among the colts that Ritchie expects to contend with on Sunday are the favourite from his elimination, Stonebridge Diablo, and the other elimination winner, Good To Be King.

“The races went in approximately the same time, but he (Good To Be King) sprinted home pretty good,” notes the Acton resident. “I didn’t see the race, I had already left, but I see by the chart lines that he went a pretty good mile.

“And going into last week I thought the horse to beat was (Stonebridge Diablo). He had a little bit of road trouble, so I think he’s another one of the obvious choices in the race.”

However, Ritchie adds that the division has been quite evenly matched this season — different horses won the first four Gold Finals — and that means any one of the nine contestants in Sunday’s tenth race have a legitimate shot at the lion’s share of the $130,000 purse.

“I don’t think there’s been a real dominant three-year-old this year,” says the veteran reinsman. “That makes it a little more wide open for the rest of us.”

Windsor Raceway sends its first race behind the starting gate at 7 pm on Sunday, with the talented three-year-old trotting colts ready to square off in the last Gold Final of their careers in Race 10.

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