CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — Reigning Gold Final champion Northern Ensign will begin defence of his title in the second of two Gold Series Eliminations at Mohawk Racetrack on Friday.

After making a break in the elimination round for the Goodtimes Stake at Woodbine on June 11, the three-year-old trotting colt will be looking to restore his reputation as the top dog in the competitive division. Other than the June 11 mistake, the Angus Hall son has been ultra-consistent through the early stages of his sophomore campaign, scoring three wins and one second in five starts.

A $40,000 yearling purchase in 2003, Northern Ensign has earned $99,535 for trainer Mark Harder of Greensville and his partners John Fielding of Toronto and Bryan Montgomery of Hightstown, NJ. The talented young trotter, who boasts a personal best of 1:55.2 over The Meadowlands oval, tackles a tough field from Post 1 in his third Gold Series test.

Among the colts Northern Ensign will face in Friday’s fourth race are Stonebridge Diablo, the third-place finisher in the $342,100 Goodtimes Final on Saturday, and Good To Be King, who finished third in the Goodtimes Consolation on Friday evening. Good To Be King starts from Post 2 for owners Al Libfeld of Pickering and Marvin Katz of Toronto while Stonebridge Diablo, owned by trainer Ron Waples, Jr. of Fergus, driver Randy Waples of Milton, Dr. Sheila Atmore of Fergus and Alan Kirschenbaum of Burbank, CA, gets Post 4.

Headlining the first division is Brancaleone, who just missed a cheque in the rich Goodtimes Final. The Balanced Image son finished second in both his May 23 Gold Elimination and June 11 Goodtimes Elimination, but suffered from bad luck in the post position draw for both Finals. In the May 30 Gold Final he finished fifth from Post 8 and in Saturday’s Goodtimes Final he could not get closer than sixth from the outside Post 10.

Michael Vanderkemp trains and drives Brancaleone for Adam Victor and Son Stable of New York, NY. The gelding, who sold for a mere $12,000 as a yearling, has earned $70,547 over the last two seasons without ever setting foot in the winner’s circle, a statistic Vanderkemp will be looking to change from Post 3 in the second race Friday.

In order to earn his first victory, Brancaleone will have to overcome Tie Silk winner Brawn Seelster from Post 2 and last season’s Ontario Sires Stakes money leader Classic Lavec from Post 6.

Bob McIntosh of LaSalle trains Brawn Seelster for his partners John Fielding of Toronto and CSX Stables of Liberty Center, OH. Like Northern Ensign, who Fielding also owns a share in, the Berndt Hanover son did not fare well in the Goodtimes Eliminations, making a break just past the halfway marker. Classic Lavec is owned by Stanley Malec’s Classic Farms of Belle River, and the owner-breeder is also training the Mr Lavec son, who earned $331,394 last season.

The top five finishers from Friday evening’s Gold Eliminations will return to Mohawk Racetrack on Canada Day, July 1, to compete in the second $130,000 Gold Final on their schedule.

Post time for this Friday’s program is 7:20 pm, with the three-year-old trotting colts slated for battle in Races 2 and 4.

For a complete list of entries for Friday night’s program go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/emohsth.html