DUNDAS, ON — Western Silk overcame her outside post to score an impressive victory in the two-year-old pacing filly Gold Final at Flamboro Downs on Thursday afternoon.
Handicapped by an outside post for the second time in Gold Final action, driver Mark MacDonald opted for an aggressive strategy in Thursday’s $130,000 skirmish. Starting from Post 7, MacDonald allowed Western Silk to float off the starting gate and had her positioned fifth on the rail when fan favourite FBs Terror reached the opening quarter in :27.3. However, the Cambridge resident was not content to sit in the middle of the pack for long, and by the time the field swept by the :56.1 half, Western Silk was controlling the pace.
The Western Terror daughter marched along to a 1:25.1 three-quarters, with reigning Gold Final champion Bay Girl leading the charge up the outside. Around the final turn Western Silk stepped up the pace, and the filly pulled away from her peers in the stretch to score a two length victory in 1:54.4. Last week’s elimination winners FBs Terror and Bay Girl settled for second and third.
Cambridge resident Casie Coleman trains Western Silk for her partner Tom Hill of Lancashire, GB. A $50,000 yearling purchase from last fall’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale, the filly has been a model of consistency through her first eight starts, posting three wins, one second, two thirds and two fourths for earnings of $136,932. In addition to the hardware she earned after Thursday’s Gold Final, the filly also has a Gold Elimination trophy and a Grassroots trophy in her freshman collection.
The first foal of $111,847 winner Extemporaneous, Western Silk jumped up the Gold Series standings with Thursday’s victory and currently sits second with 133 points. Bay Girl leads the two-year-old pacing filly standings with a total of 162 points.
The freshman pacing fillies will match wits for the fourth time on Oct. 3 at Mohawk Racetrack, with the Gold Final held at Woodbine Racetrack on Oct. 10. Ontario Sires Stakes action continues at Flamboro Downs next Wednesday, Sept. 30, when the Dundas oval hosts the fifth Grassroots events for the two-year-old trotting fillies.
For complete results please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/results/data/r0924flmdn.dat