GLOUCESTER, ON — Rideau Carleton Raceway features a double bill of Ontario Sires Stakes racing on Thursday evening as the three-year-old trotting fillies return to the Ottawa oval for their $130,000 Gold Final and the two-year-old pacing fillies square off in a pair of Trillium Series divisions.

Whatthehecklavec heads into Thursday’s Gold Final off an impressive 1:57.3 victory in the elimination round and will be looking for her first Gold Final title from Post 1 in the ninth race. After starting her Ontario Sires Stakes career in the Grassroots program, Whatthehecklavec made the successful transition to top level competition with a win in the Canadian Breeders Championship at Mohawk Racetrack on July 30. Since her Canadian Breeders triumph the Mr Lavec daughter has added two wins and one second in Gold Series competition to her resume.

“Looking from the outside it looks like we’ve managed her very well,” says breeder Jennifer Unger, who shares ownership on the filly with her mother Gwendowyn Unger of Caledon East and trainer Randy Fritz of Carlisle. “But it just worked out that way. We’ve just been taking baby steps.”

Unraced at two due to a serious bout of illness, Whatthehecklavec made her racing debut in a May 6 maiden event at Grand River Raceway, circling the half-mile oval in 2:03.2. Wins in an overnight at Flamboro Downs and a division of the May 23 Grassroots season opener at Dresden Raceway followed. After making a break in a non-winners of two races event at Flamboro Downs on June 9, Whatthehecklavec was back in the winner’s circle on June 16 at Hiawatha Horse Park with a personal best 2:01.4 effort in a Trillium Series division.

Two runner-up finishes at Grand River Raceway were next, one in the July 1 Grassroots event and the other in a July 15 Trillium division, and Unger and Fritz decided it was time to take a crack at the top fillies. Whatthehecklavec finished fifth in her July 22 Canadian Breeders Championship Elimination, and Unger wondered if they had made the wrong decision.

“When she finished fifth I thought she might make the final, but I wasn’t happy with the way she had raced in the elimination,” recalls Unger. “I was all for skipping the Final and going to Clinton for the Grassroots instead, but Randy was pretty adamant. He said, �No, she earned her way in. It’s not every day you get to race for $150,000, we should give it a shot.'”

On that day Fritz prevailed, and Whatthehecklavec clearly demonstrated that she belonged among the best with her 1:57 victory, but Unger admits she was still a little sceptical about the filly’s ability.

“After the Canadian Breeders, when she won, I wondered, was it a fluke? Maybe everything just went her way? Was it like the parting of the red sea and Randy was just in the right place at the right time?” admits the Caledon East resident. “And then she was huge in her next start and I started to think, maybe she really was that good.”

Unlike Unger, Fritz had been confident in Whatthehecklavec’s ability long before she graduated to the Gold Series and the trainer-driver had done his best to convince his doubtful partner.

“Training down this spring Randy kept saying, �I like her, I like her, I like her,’ but I didn’t always believe him. I thought he was just shooting me the typical owner line,” says Unger. “And he was after me about breeding the mare back to Mr Lavec… I didn’t breed her back and I’m kicking myself now.”

Whatthehecklavec, Unger and Fritz will head back to Ottawa on Wednesday to give the filly a chance to rest up before her $130,000 work-out. Come race time the trio will be watching out for reigning Gold Final champ World Class Image from Post 9 and elimination winner Maleficent from Post 7.

“World Class Image is right on our butt in the nine-hole, that’s a little unfortunate,” notes Unger. “And Tom Durand’s filly (Maleficent) has really come around lately. If all the stars are aligned properly it could be an interesting stretch drive.”

Rideau Carleton fans can also expect a pair of exciting battles in the Trillium Series divisions, Races 2 and 6 on the 6:30 pm program. Trainer Mark Steacy will have another opportunity to end the jinx that has hovered over his attempts to win a stake race at the Ottawa oval when Sun N Sand fires off the starting gate from Post 2 in the second race.

David Reid of Glenburnie, Malcolm Man Son Hing of Nepean, George Judson of Athens and David McDonald of Cornwall share ownership on Sun N Sand, who was a Gold Series Elimination winner at Mohawk Racetrack on Aug. 1 and heads into Thursday’s contest off a seventh place finish in the Aug. 8 Final.

Highlighting the second Trillium division is two-time Gold Elimination winner Draconian Promise, who will start from Post 4 for owners Cully Keetch and Lawrence Simon of Hamilton.

Rideau Carleton Raceway’s outstanding evening of Ontario Sires Stakes action gets under way at 6:30 pm on Thursday, with the freshman pacing fillies featured in Races 2 and 6, and the three-year-old trotting lasses taking centre stage in Race 9.

For a complete list of entries please go to:

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