FRASERVILLE, ON — Upsets were the name of the game at Kawartha Downs on Saturday evening when all three favourites in the three-year-old trotting colt Gold Series Eliminations went down in defeat.

The biggest upset came in the first elimination when heavy favourite In Conchnito yielded to fifth-choice Its A Fact Jack in the stretch. In Conchnito led the colts through fractions of :28.1, :57.2 and 1:28.1, but could not hold on for the win when Its A Fact Jack popped out of the pocket in the final steps of the race. Fred Brethour and Its A Fact Jack hit the wire in 1:58.1, one length ahead of the reigning Gold Final champion.

Owned and trained by Murray Waples of Port Severn, Its A Fact Jack earned his way into Saturday’s Gold event off a Grassroots victory at Clinton Raceway on June 13 and a win in a non-winners of two races contest at Kawartha on June 29. The Yentls Image son opened his 2004 campaign with a third-place finish at the Fraserville oval on June 1.

Its A Fact Jack’s Gold Series debut earned his local fans $33.00 on a win ticket, $7.70 for a place wager and $3.70 to show. Favourite In Conchnito, owned by Robert McIntosh Stables Inc. of LaSalle, Dave Boyle of Bowmanville and CSX Stables of Liberty Center, OH, returned $2.60 to place and $2.90 to show and third-place finisher Lucky George paid $5.00 to show. The exactor was worth $102.60 and an accurate guess at the top three finishers earned you $1,310.70 on a triactor play.

In the second elimination veteran horseman Paul Walker scored his 1,000th victory aboard Samuel Oaks, besting Trudel and favourite Witness Perfection by a length. Walker opted for come-from-behind tactics with the Angus Hall son, reeling in Trudel through the stretch to score the 1:58.1 victory.

The Owen Sound resident shares ownership on Samuel Oaks with Carscot Stables of Toronto. The win improved the colt’s record to three wins and one third in five starts.

The final elimination saw the top three colts finish in reverse order from the fans’ expectations. Third choice B Cor Kenny was first across the wire in 1:58.2 off a front end effort, second choice Kings Ransom was a steady second and first choice Erics Image settled for third.

Dan Daley trains and drives B Cor Kenny for Robert Pergament of Boca Raton, FL and Annmari Daley of Coral Springs, FL. The Angus Hall son prepped for Saturday’s event with a 1:57.3 victory over Vernon Downs on July 2. He was making his first start in the provincial program this season after missing the retention barn cut off for the June 26 Gold Elimination.

The top three colts return to Kawartha Downs next Saturday, July 17 for the third $130,000 Gold Final on their calendar.