REXDALE, ON — As the three-year-old trotting colts head into their second Gold Series event at Woodbine Racetrack on Monday night, the field has expanded to include several new faces to the Ontario Sires Stakes scene as well as some familiar ones who chose to skip the season opener in May.

Lining up to challenge Ryan Hall, the winner of the first $130,000 Gold Final of the 2002 season, are last year’s OSS and Breeders Crown champion Duke Of York and newcomer Living Image, who posted a 1:56.1 at Woodbine on May 27.

Ryan Hall will make his bid for a third straight victory from Post 5 in the second race on Woodbine’s 7:40 pm program and driver Trevor Ritchie is expecting a big mile from the Balanced Image son.

“He’s a colt that takes a while to get up to speed, but once he reaches top speed he can hold it for a fair distance,” says the Acton resident. “With the bigger turns at Woodbine, versus the half-mile track at London, I think that he could go a pretty big mile. You never know until you get in there, but I can tell you that he’s never reached bottom yet. He’s always gone through the wire, still trotting strong.”

Ritchie drives Ryan Hall for trainer Doug McIntosh of Wheatley and owners Walnut Hall Limited of Lexington, KY and made the mistake of choosing the colt’s stablemate Semper Fi Hall for the May 18 Gold Final, handing driver Greg Wright the win aboard Ryan Hall.

“I thought he (Ryan Hall) was the better horse, but I was picking the horse I thought was better on a half-mile track. That’s what happens when you get to thinking too much,” says Ritchie wryly.

The veteran reinsman will pilot Semper Fi Hall for McIntosh and Walnut Hall in the fourth race and hopes the runner-up from the May 18 event can deliver a solid performance on Woodbine’s seven-eights mile oval.

“He’s as honest as they come. He tries as much as he can go every time,” says Ritchie. “He’s not that big of a horse and he’s definitely more of a sports car type horse. He’s not really an endurance horse, but he trotted in 1:59 or so in the Canadian Breeders last year so he could step up and go a big mile too.”

Ritchie had the option of driving Semper Fi Hall from Post 9 in the fourth race or Rotation from Post 8, but opted for the McIntosh colt due to the long-standing partnership the pair have had, a partnership which won them the Hambletonian in 2000 with Yankee Paco.

“Rotation is a nice big, strong colt. He may be lacking in a little top speed yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes to that soon,” says Ritchie, who has driven the Balanced Image son for owner-trainer Harald Lunde of Campbellville in all five of his starts this season. “I’m not picking the other colt because he’s much better, but because me and Doug go back quite a way and we have a good track record together.”

Regardless of which horse he sits behind, Ritchie says the competitors he will be watching most carefully are Duke Of York at Post 5 and Living Image at Post 4.

Both sons of Balanced Image, Duke Of York heads into Monday’s contest off a 1:58.1 qualifier at Mohawk Racetrack on May 24. The John Bax trainee left from Post 3 and controlled the pace throughout the mile, posting fractions of :28.4, :59.2 and 1:28.3 en route to the one length victory. Al Libfeld of Pickering, Marvin Katz of Toronto and Sam Goldband of Toronto own Duke Of York, who banked $671,142 during his lucrative freshman career.

While Duke of York has locked horns with the best trotters North America has to offer, Living Image has only eight career starts to his credit and heads into Monday’s Elimination round off a win in non-winners of two races company. In spite of his relative inexperience, driver Steve Condren says the $120,000 yearling handled himself like a pro in his May 27 victory.

“I just sat behind him the once, but he acts like a nice horse. He acted like a seasoned veteran,” says the Milton resident. “He was pretty handy in 1:56.1 and he acts like he can go faster than he did the other night.”

Condren will pilot the colt on Monday for trainer Ron Gurfein and owners the Living Image Stable of Versailles, KY.

Woodbine Racetrack sends its first race to the post at 7:40 pm and the three-year-old trotting colts will face off against each other in races two and four. The top five colts from each Elimination will return to Woodbine on Monday, June 10 for their second $130,00 Gold Final.