GLOUCESTER, ON — Sent off as the second longest shot in the race, Whispering Girl swept past pacesetter Whatthehecklavec to earn her first Gold Final title at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Thursday evening.

Driver Bjarte Torresdal gave Whispering Girl the perfect steer, trailing Whatthehecklavec off the starting gate from Post 4 and sitting tight on the fan favourite’s heels as she laid down fractions of :28.3, :58.3 and 1:27.1. Turning for home Whatthehecklavec still had a one length lead, but when Torresdal stepped on the gas heading down the stretch Whispering Girl responded with an impressive finishing kick that propelled her to a three length triumph in 1:56.2.

Whatthehecklavec was forced to settle for second in her second Gold Final attempt and Honour Way held off Southern Senorita to claim the third-place finisher’s share of the $130,000 provincial purse. Elimination winner Maleficent finished fifth, while reigning Gold Final champion World Class Image was never part of the action and finished well back in eighth.

Thursday’s triumph was Whispering Girl’s second of the season and peeled almost three seconds off her former personal best. The win boosted the Angus Hall daughter’s lifetime earnings to $167,633 for owner and trainer Tommy Andersson of Gotene, Sweden. Whispering Girl earned her way into Thursday night’s Final with a third-place finish behind Whatthehecklavec in last week’s elimination round.

Unimpressed by the filly’s recent efforts, Rideau Carleton fans sent her off as their eighth choice in the nine filly field and as a results Whispering Girl returned $150.70 to win, $30.10 to place and $8.40 to show. Favourite Whatthehecklavec delivered a $2.80 place dividend and a $2.10 return on each $2 show wager, while third choice Honour Way’s third-place effort was worth $2.30. The exactor returned $678.40 and the triactor paid a whopping $5,868.60.

Things were not so exciting in the pair of Trillium Series divisions that preceded the Gold Final, as top fillies walked away with the victor’s spoils in both.

In the first Trillium division former Gold Elimination and Grassroots winner Alias Seelster posted her third victory of the season with an effort similar to the one that landed Whispering Girl in the winner’s circle. With Randy Waples taking up residence in the race bike for the first time, the Intrepid Seelster miss tucked in behind favourite Sun N Sand through fractions of :28.4, :58.4 and 1:27.2 and then blew past in the stretch to claim the one and three-quarter length victory in a personal best 1:55.4.

Mark Steacy’s Rideau Carleton jinx struck again as the Lansdowne resident settled for second with Sun N Sand, owned by David Reid of Glenburnie, Malcolm Man Son Hing of Nepean, George Judson of Athens and David McDonald of Cornwall, and Mustang Kensley rounded out the top three.

Denfield resident Ray Bunn trains Alias Seelster for his partner Lisa Steward of Denfield and the pair have now banked $52,455 on the filly’s behalf through six starts.

The other Trillium Series division saw another version of the stalking technique, as Draconian Seelster powered out of the pocket to claim a quarter length victory over pacesetter Even Now in 1:56.3. Pacific Yankee was one and three-quarter lengths back in third.

Lyle MacArthur drove Draconian Promise to her third win for trainer Patrick Keetch and owners Cully Keetch and Lawrence Simon of Hamilton. The Rustler Hanover daughter also has a pair of Gold Eliminations wins to her credit through seven starts.

Ontario’s talented two-year-old pacing fillies return to Gold Series action on Sept. 25 at Flamboro Downs, while the veteran three-year-old trotting fillies wrap up their regular season on Oct. 21 at the Dundas oval.

The Ontario Sires Stakes program makes one last stop at Rideau Carleton Raceway this season, with Grassroots action for the lightning fast three-year-old pacing colts on Sept. 29.

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rridcfth.html