CAMPBELLVILLE, OCT. 31, 2002 — Ontario’s talented two-year-old pacing fillies wrap up their regular season on Monday evening at Mohawk Racetrack and Elimination winner The Patriot will be looking for a second Gold Final trophy to add to her collection.

The Albert Albert daughter captured the July 26 Gold Final at Rideau Carleton Raceway and has amassed a trio of Gold Elimination trinkets on behalf of owners Glengate Farms of Campbellville and Suvretta Stables of Toronto. She dominated last Monday’s elimination, pulling away from the field down the stretch and stopping the clock in 1:54 on a frosty three degree Celsius evening.

“I was pretty confident that we were going to be in the top three,” says Glengate owner Jim Bullock of The Patriot’s Elimination effort. “But quite frankly I was very pleased with the way she came first up and then pulled away.”

Bullock’s confidence in a top three placing was merited. In 15 starts The Patriot has logged five wins, five seconds and two thirds and banked $393,478. In addition to the Ontario Sires Stakes program the filly has battled in Grand Circuit action against the best fillies from across North America and posted a fourth-place finish in the Breeders Crown Final at Woodbine Racetrack on Oct. 19.

“When she’s had 12 top three finishes out of 15, not only in the Sires Stakes but on the Grand Circuit, obviously we’re pleased,” says Bullock. “And after you’ve finished giving credit to her, the first thing you have to do is give credit to John (Kopas) and his staff. They’ve done a great job keeping her ready to go.”

The task of keeping The Patriot on her toes has been made somewhat easier by the filly’s willingness to do her work. In spite of a dance card that has been full since late June, The Patriot has missed just two stakes engagements and very few training miles.

“John says that even after she’s had three or four tough races she seems eager to get back to work,” he says. “Last time we raced her John took her out for her first trip and he said she wanted to go around again. She wasn’t ready to come off the track. She’s a horse that really seems to enjoy racing.”

The Patriot was purchased for $20,000 from the Glengate consignment last fall, but Bullock says all the credit for selecting her goes to Kopas, who selected the filly for the long time partners.

“Eddie Goodman and I have always owned a horse together each year for the past 12 or 13, but I find out which one it will be after the fact,” he explains. “I’d like to tell you I went out to the field and watched The Patriot in her formative years and said, �That’s the one I want,’ but you never know where they are going to come from.

“After she won her first start at Georgian Downs I said to Steve Byron, who drove her that night, �Well she’s just won more than her mother (Compatriot) did lifetime.’ We raced her mother for two long years and I think she made a total of about $7,000.”

The Patriot and driver Steve Condren will start from Post 1 in the fourth race on Monday and nine of 10 fillies from the elimination round will be back at Mohawk Racetrack, including division leader Northern Harmony who will start from Post 6.

Racing gets under way at 7:40 pm at Mohawk Racetrack on Monday and the talented two-year-old pacing fillies go postward in their last Gold Final in Race 4.