CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — The highly talented two-year-old trotting colts return to Mohawk Racetrack on Thursday evening for their second last $130,000 Gold Final and Rick Zeron hopes that he and Kingdom can replicate the result they posted in the elimination round.
The duo landed in the winner’s circle last week through a combination of savvy driving and serendipity. Leaving from Post 3 Zeron was content to watch the early action from fourth, waiting until after the halfway point in the mile to make a steady climb up the outside. At the top of the stretch Zeron and Kingdom had moved within two lengths of pacesetter Sea King and when that colt went off stride in the final stages they stepped up to score the 1:57.3 victory.
“He raced very well last time and I kind of got fortunate, I heard the young trainer of (Doug) Brown’s colt say he was going to race him in the two-hole,” recalls Zeron. ” I got away fourth and then let young (Jody) Jamieson in front of me after the quarter. Then I came first up, and came slow, making sure that I could take care of business and keep the right horses on the inside.
“We started to press the horses on top and Steve (Condren) looked like he was having trouble holding his colt together and he lost him 50 or 100 feet out, so we stepped up and got the win.”
Although favourites Steve Condren and Sea King crossed the wire second they were moved back to third and Doug Brown and division leader Meadowview Sunny shifted up to second.
The win was Kingdom’s second in Gold Elimination action and followed a 16 day holiday from the races that had Zeron a bit worried about the young trotter’s fitness level.
“He’d been off for a couple of weeks and I kind of thought he might be short, but he trotted in 1:57.3, right where he’s been trotting all along,” says the trainer-driver, who shares ownership on Kingdom with The Camel Club Stable of Hamilton and Gestion Charest Ltee. of Montreal, QC. “I’ve never really reached up and got into him yet. We’ll see what happens this week.”
Leaving from Post 2 in Thursday’s Final Zeron expects to land in a similar spot on the rail, and would not be surprised to be sitting behind the same two horses.
“I expect to be sitting no worse than third by the quarter, it depends if (Doug) Brown let’s (Scott) McEneny’s horse (Sea King) go,” he speculates. “I’ll probably be first over again, but that doesn’t bother me, he can sit out there all day.”
Brown and Meadowview Sunny will start from his left at Post 1, while regular driver Trevor Ritchie returns to Sea King’s race bike at Post 7. Zeron will also have his eyes peeled for the other elimination winner Well Budgeted, who will be hampered by Post 8, and reigning Gold Final winner Gerry Lavec, who will start from Post 3.
While Kingdom has been virtually, and this is where Zeron knocks on wood, flawless in his seven starts this season, the King Conch son’s behaviour in the barn is less than ideal.
“This colt is very calm and cool on the track, but he’s kind of a real bad ass in the barn. It’s kind of like a dual personality,” says Zeron, who adds that the trotter’s caretaker does an outstanding job humouring him through the day. “Murielle does a great job with him, she kind of plays around with him, keeps him happy.”
Kingdom and his peers take Mohawk Racetrack by storm in the fourth race on Thursday night, vying for a share of the $130,000 Gold Final purse and the highly coveted Super Final points.