FRASERVILLE, ON — Kawartha Downs fans forgave Stonebridge Luau a break in her last start and sent her off as their top choice in the third of four Gold Series Eliminations on Tuesday afternoon, and less than two minutes later the three-year-old pacing filly had rewarded them with her third victory of the season.

Owned by Oak Knoll Stables of Campbellcroft, Stonebridge Luau took command of the race just past the :28.2 opening quarter and then rolled through fractions of :57.4 and 1:26.1. To Helen Back, a Gold Final winner as a two-year-old, mounted a stiff challenge in the stretch, but Stonebridge Luau kept a stubborn neck in front to record the 1:54.1 victory. Early leader Don’t You Smile finished four lengths behind the battling leaders in third.

With three wins under her belt in six starts this season, Stonebridge Luau has clearly found her stride. The Island Fantasy miss made four starts in the Ontario Sires Stakes program as a two-year-old, but a third-place result in Grassroots action was her best result. Bob Young trains the half sister to $642,620 winner Stonebridge Kisses, and Steve Condren has driven her in all six starts this season.

Ontario Sires Spring Series Final winner In Trepid Water posted her fifth straight victory in the first of four $29,447 Gold Eliminations Tuesday. The Intrepid Seelster daughter and driver Rick Zeron wasted no time getting to the front from Post 3, saw a brief challenge at the three-quarters and then cruised home easy winners in 1:54.1. Ja El Astrelegant and Wendy Semalu earned the second and third-place honours.

The Bob McIntosh trainee is undefeated through five starts this season and boasts an impressive 1:51.4 record from the opening leg of the Spring Series. Owned and bred by LaSalle resident McIntosh and CSX Stables of Liberty Center, OH, In Trepid Water counts $100,000-plus winners Watering Cam and Waterproof among her siblings.

The second elimination had fans on their feet as the top four finishers crossed under the wire within one length of each other. Careful examination revealed that Moving Pictures and Letmedowneasy had outsprinted fan favourite Luxury Seelster to the wire, with Moving Pictures earning the 1:54.4 victory by a head.

Jody Jamieson piloted the D M Dilinger daughter to her first victory of the season for trainer Ronald Parsons and owner-breeder Tony Debartolo of North York. Like Stonebridge Luau and In Trepid Water, Moving Pictures has good genes to thank for some of her ability. Her half brother Jackie Brown has earned $101,099 in his racing career.

Fan favourite Zeglarska Street captured the last elimination with another gate to wire performance, hitting the wire one and one-quarter lengths ahead of Laura Mae in 1:54.4. Windsun Countess, owned by MMR Stables Inc., Janet Fife and Rodger Webb of Norwood, finished two and one-quarter lengths behind the leader in third.

Kevin Wallis drives Zeglarska Street for Cuzzins Stable of Delray Beach, FL and his wife Linda Wallis handles training duties on the filly, who boasts a record of four wins in five starts this season and will start from the advantageous Post 1 in next week’s Gold Final.

The top two finishers from each elimination, in addition to Wendy Semalu, who drew the short straw among the third-place finishers, will return to Kawartha Downs next Tuesday, May 30 for the first $130,000 Gold Final on their 2006 schedule. Post positions for the Gold Final are as follows:

Post 1 Zeglarska Street

Post 2 To Helen Back

Post 3 Moving Pictures

Post 4 Wendy Semalu

Post 5 In Trepid Water

Post 6 Stonebridge Luau

Post 7 Laura Mae

Post 8 Letmedowneasy

Post 9 Ja El Astrelegant

AE1 Windsun Countess

AE2 Luxury Seelster

AE3 Dont You Smile

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rkdftu.html