by Ashley Mayotte, WEG communications

Campbellville, ON — Lucky Jim defeated San Pail in the C$50,000 Maple Leaf Trot prep race on Saturday night (July 16) at Mohawk Racetrack.

The Erv Miller trainee captured his second victory this season, by three-quarters of a length ahead of the 1-5 favorite, San Pail.

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Lucky Jim won the Maple Leaf Trot prep in a time of 1:52.2.

Define The World (Paul MacDonell) took the field to the quarter pole in :28, but San Pail (Randy Waples) was quick to take the front as they entered the backstretch, holding the lead though fractions of :57 and 1:25.3.

Premiere Steed (Sylvain Filion) came first-over from sixth past the half, but into the final turn the French mare flushed out Lucky Jim (Jody Jamieson) who was third on the rail.

Sent off at 4-1, Lucky Jim applied pressure to San Pail in the stretch, which proved to be too much for the two-time Maple Leaf Trot winner. Jamieson and his charge got under the wire in 1:52.2. San Pail was second and the mare, Frenchfrysnvinegar (Keith Oliver), got up for third.

“He’s got tremendous speed,” Jamieson said following the win. “He’s got a different kind of gait compared to most trotters. You have to drive him like a trotter. I know you hear that a lot, but that’s the way he is. He’s not the most fluid trotter, but he gets the job done.”

Around the final turn, Jamieson wasn’t confident he was going to find the winner’s circle.

“I wasn’t optimistic that I was going to reach San Pail when he hit the half in :57 seconds. I would have been happy to finish second,” said the Moffat, Ontario, resident.

Jamieson also noted that he is unsure of who he will be driving next Saturday.

“The connections told me that if I got along good with him (Lucky Jim) then I might be able to drive him in the final, but I also have Il Villaggio, so we’ll see what they do and we’ll see what I do,” he said.

The son of S J’s Photo-Hawaiian Sierra has a lifetime record of 27-11-2 in 57 starts for David and John Prushnok and William Gregg. The 6-year-old gelding paid $10.70 to win as the second choice.

Since no eliminations were required, 10 horses have advanced directly to the C$730,000 Maple Leaf Trot final on Saturday, July 23. Here’s how the trotters will line up behind the gate for the final: 1. Il Villaggio, 2. Hot Shot Blue Chip, 3. Enough Talk, 4. Define The World, 5. Arch Madness, 6. Four Starz Speed, 7. Triumphant Caviar, 8. Premiere Steed, 9. San Pail and 10. Lucky Jim.

Former Toronto Maple Leaf great Curtis Joseph will be on hand to present the winning connections the highly sought-after Maple Leaf Trot trophy. Fans will be able to meet and greet Joseph from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. with the first 500 fans to receive a free commemorative autograph card.

Laughandbehappy upsets in Roses Are Red elim

Laughandbehappy upset in the lone Roses Are Red elimination at Mohawk Racetrack Saturday evening. The Tony O’Sullivan trainee notched her sixth win this year and equaled A Ps Money Maker’s track record of 1:49.1 for pacing mares.

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Laughandbehappy equaled the track record of 1:49.1 for pacing mares.

Ultimate Velocity (Rick Zeron) took the mares into the turn and parked Laughandbehappy (Jody Jamieson) in the process, which then forced Jamieson to take the lead and the opening panel in :27. Western Silk (Mark MacDonald) was pulled from third and taken to the front and cut the half in :54.3 and the three-quarters in 1:21.4.

The 8-1 longshot, Laughandbehappy angled out from the pocket and in deep stretch secured a 1-1/2 length victory over Ultimate Velocity. The 3-5 favorite, Dreamfair Eternal, held on for third.

Jamieson was confident his charge would win from off the pace.

“It looked like Western Silk was really hot and I’ve never seen her like that, she usually likes to settle on a helmet and explode late,”
he stated. “It worked out to our advantage that we could catch her down the stretch. When we hit the straightaway I was pretty sure I was the winner, I just wasn’t sure where Dreamfair Eternal was. My mare just put her head down and dug in hard.”

Jamieson believes that with theses classy mares, next week’s final could be record breaking.

“A half in :54.3, if it’s the same conditions, I think we could go faster next week with the three other mares in there (that accepted the bye). I think they might have a chance to break the track record,” he said. “It’s a beautiful night and the track is fast, these horses are the best in the world for their age and sex, it’s just a pleasure to get a chance to spin one of them.”

The daughter of Badlands Hanover-Zinful has a lifetime record of 26-5-7 in 49 starts for owners Let It Ride Stables Inc, Mentally Stable Inc., Robert Cooper Stables LLC and Jerry Silva. The 5-year-old mare paid $19.80 to win.

Laughandbehappy is one of three mares that move on to the final for O’Sullivan. Blissful Smile finished fourth and Ticket To Rock was fifth.

The top seven finishers advanced to the C$385,000 Roses Are Red final joining Anndrovette, Warrawee Koine and Chancey Lady who accepted a bye to the final based on highest money earnings.

Here’s how the mares will line up behind the gate: 1. Chancey Lady, 2. Laughandbehappy, 3. Ultimate Velocity, 4. Blissful Smile, 5. Western Silk, 6. Rock N Soul, 7. Ticket To Rock, 8. Anndrovette, 9. Dreamfair Eternal, 10. Warrawee Koine. AE. Voelz Hanover.