REXDALE, ON — After three Gold Finals there has not been much variety in the winner’s circle in the three-year-old pacing filly ranks and Don Culham and John Clark are hoping their filly Nicki Newton can change that on Friday at Woodbine Racetrack.

Nicki Newton has recorded three runner-up finishes and one third in four Gold Series starts this summer and Culham feels the Broadway Blue daughter will be in a position to add a win to her resume from Post 6 on Friday night.

“She has great gate speed so it really doesn’t matter what post she gets,” says the Cambridge resident. “I think she’ll be good. She is a very brave little filly, very tough. She is all racehorse.”

In the elimination round Nicki Newton made a break at the start that left her more than 11 lengths behind the early leaders and still managed to post a runner-up finish to Lady Graceful, complete with a :27.2 final quarter. One week earlier she posted a personal best 1:52.1 victory over Woodbine’s seven-eighths mile oval.

“She gets a little high strung sometimes, but she’s a very, very nice filly,” says Culham. “Just to get second after that break was impressive. I think she was about 12 lengths back when the gate left.”

Culham and Toronto resident Clark sent the filly to Hagersville trainer Bill Robinson after her runner-up finish in the season opening Gold Elimination and have been delighted with the results she has posted all season.

“We gave her a start at Windsor to see how good she was, and when we saw how good she was we sent her to Bill,” explains Culham. “She has far exceeded my initial expectations. I thought at the time (last spring) that I was buying a Grassroots filly.”

Among the other fillies hoping to break division leaders Precious Delight and Lady Graceful’s strangle hold on the Gold Final trophies are two making the leap up from the Grassroots and one making her debut in the Ontario Sires Stakes program. Maddy Girl, who will start from Post 3, and Victorious Killean, who drew Post 9, have spent the last three months racing at the Grassroots level, while Treefill makes her Gold Final debut from Post 4.

Lady Graceful will make her bid for a second Gold Final victory from Post 8, while the other Elimination winner Armbro Wallflower gets Post 7.

Go Alberta Go at Post 1, Catch This Bunny at Post 2, Imoutahere from Post 5 and Oven Mitt in the outside Post 10 round out the field of three-year-old pacing fillies making their bid for OSS fame and glory in Woodbine Racetrack’s fifth race Friday. The Rexdale oval raises the curtain on another exciting weekend of racing at 7:40 pm.