from the Ontario Sires Stakes

Campbellville, ON — Powerful winds swirled around Mohawk Racetrack on Friday evening (Sept. 30), but Ontario’s top 3-year-old pacing fillies were still able to show off their world class skills in a pair of C$105,000 Gold Series divisions.

Reigning division champion L A Delight, fresh off her win in the historic Jugette in Delaware, Ohio, sailed to an impressive victory in the first division.

New Image Media photo

Randy Waples piloted 3-year-old pacing filly L A Delight to her ninth straight Gold Series win at Mohawk Racetrack.

Leaving from post three, driver Randy Waples allowed Divas Image to clock a :26.1 opening quarter, but sent L A Delight to the front well before the :55.4 half. The fan favorite laid down a 1:23.4 three-quarters and then sprinted home to a 1:50.3 clocking, 3-1/2 lengths ahead of Windsun Glory and five in front of Divas Image, over a track rated one second slower than normal.

“When she was on the front I thought she’d be okay, but I didn’t expect that kind of a last quarter,” said co-owner Al McIntosh from the winner’s circle. “She is an exceptional racehorse.”

The Leamington resident bred and owns the daughter of Bettor’s Delight and West Of L A in partnership with Hall of Fame trainer Bob McIntosh and C S X Stables. The filly has paced to eight wins, two seconds and one third in 14 starts this season, adding C$522,328 to the C$704,335 she earned winning 11 of 12 starts as a 2-year-old.

L A Delight has never been bested in Ontario Sires Stakes action, with Friday’s victory her ninth in Gold Series action and tenth in OSS competition. She leads the 3-year-old pacing fillies into the Oct. 15 Super Final with a flawless 250 points from her five sophomore victories.

While L A Delight took home her ninth Gold trophy, the second division saw Mayhem Seelster earn her first. Last year’s Grassroots champion went gate-to-wire from post four, halting the Mohawk teletimer at 1:52.1. Lay Lady Lay finished 1-3/4 lengths behind the fan favorite, while Bourbon Seelster was 4-1/4 lengths back in third.

Sylvain Filion engineered the filly’s second straight victory for trainer Tony O’Sullivan and owner Domenic Chiaravalle. The Gold Series win boosted the Mach Three daughter’s record to three wins, five seconds and four thirds in 14 starts for earnings of C$225,246.

“I think there’s one race where she kind of didn’t race good, and I’m going to say that was maybe the Fan Hanover,” said O’Sullivan, ruefully. “But other than that, she probably should have two or three wins more than she does, she’s raced super.

“It’s certainly good to go into the Super Final off a couple wins, she’s confident and Sylvain’s confident,” added the trainer. “Now we’ve just got to hope for luck and everything, and no problems in the next two weeks.”

Mayhem Seelster heads into the Super Final in third spot in the standings, with 104 points earned from one win, one second, two thirds and one fifth-place finish in Gold Series action. Like L A Delight she is eligible to the Breeders Crown eliminations at The Meadowlands the week after the Super Final and O’Sullivan said a solid performance in the Ontario Sires Stakes season finale will earn Mayhem Seelster a trip south. The filly will then enjoy a well-deserved vacation before returning to the races at four.

“I think she’s going to be a good solid mare and the thing about her is she’s deceptive,” said O’Sullivan. “She’s not very good on the front in terms of she’s a little bit lazy and whatever, but she has a high cruising speed and I just think as she matures and gets stronger, and being a Mach Three, I just think she’ll be able to carry that a little bit further, and probably go faster, but more importantly just be that little bit physically stronger.”

In the meantime, O’Sullivan and his team will be focused on preparing Mayhem Seelster for the C$250,000 Super Final where she will face L A Delight and the other eight leading point earners.

On Saturday evening Super Final berths will be determined in the 2-year-old pacing colt division, as the novices face off over the Mohawk Racetrack oval in their last Gold Series event. The colts will battle in races two and 10 on the program, which gets underway at 7:30 p.m.