by Ashley Mayotte, WEG communications

Toronto, ON — In the General Brock Series final and an opening leg division of the Celias Counsel Series, driver Mike Saftic scored with a pair of upset-minded trotters on Monday night (April 2) at Woodbine.

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Revenue Agent was a 1:56 winner in the General Brock Series final.

Revenue Agent and Lexus Helios found the winner’s circle in their stakes engagements for Saftic, who crafted a driving triple on the 12-race program.

Heavy favorite Undercover Strike (Jack Moiseyev) was the tempo-setter in the C$50,000 General Brock final. The 4-year-old gelding, who won his second leg division, held command through fractions of :27.2, :56.4 and 1:26.4.

As Undercover Strike and Incredable Frank (Doug McNair) battled around the final turn and into the stretch, Saftic and Revenue Agent were able to avoid a trio of breaking trotters to advance up the rail to score the 16-1 shocker. The gelding stopped the clock in 1:56. Undercover Strike finished second by 1-1/2 lengths and Incredable Frank rounded out the triactor.

“We wanted to race him from off the pace like we did last week,” said Saftic. “Everything worked out good. I got him off easy and got good fractions up the backside. Then all those horses started running and we just kind of weaved through and got up the inside. We had some racing luck there.

“I think his stamina is his best quality,” he added. “He seems to be able to finish, but he is still green. He is a little anxious early in the race, but then he settles down. He does act like a horse that can develop into a nice older horse.”

The homebred son of Revenue S-Caviar And Pearls, who scored his first win of his 4-year-old campaign, has a lifetime record of 8-11-2 in 22 outings and has banked $90,658 in career earnings for trainer Jeff Miller and owners Michael Creps and R. Kevin Greenfield. Revenue Agent returned $35.50 to win.

Earlier on the card, Saftic was able to pull off an upset in one of two opening round divisions of the Celias Counsel Series. At odds of 35-1, Lexus Helios broke her maiden in her C$20,000 division for trainer-owner-breeder Norm Dunstan.

Saftic and Lexus Helios sat behind splits of :27.4 clocked by Ithinkshestheone (Jody Jamieson) and :58.3 and 1:28.2 put up by Holy Molie Maggie (Scott Zeron). In deep stretch, Lexus Helios found late speed to defeat the 1-2 favorite by a half-length in 1:57.1. Sugar Wheeler (Paul MacDonell) finished third.

The daughter of Ken Warkentin-Lexus Hall lifted her career earnings to $10,454. Lexus Helios paid $73.10 to win.

The veteran reinsman also scored with race one starter Lexis Noah (1:54, $22.90), which gave Norm Dunstan a training double on the night.

In the other Celias Counsel division, I’m On Cloud Nine, who made her 2012 debut, took home the lion’s share of the purse for trainer Kevin O’Reilly and driver Jack Moiseyev.

Fiorentina (Eddie Green) clocked the early fractions of :28, and :58.2 before a first-up I’m On Cloud Nine launched her attack from third. The sophomore miss cleared before the turn to pass the three-quarters in 1:28 and stop the clock in career-best effort of 1:57.1. Post time favorite Winbak Maya (Paul MacDonell) was second by three-quarters of a length and Crystal Rayne (Mario Baillargeon) got up for third.

The daughter of Angus Hall-Celebrity Angel has a lifetime record of 2-1-1 in six starts and career earnings of $34,960 for owner W. J. Donovan. I’m On Cloud Nine paid $6.20 to win as the second choice.

The C$30,000 second leg of the Celias Counsel, for 3-year-old trotting fillies who were non-winners of C$30,000 in 2011, is slated for Thursday (April 12), with the C$50,000 final scheduled for Monday (April 23).

Live Standardbred racing returns to the Toronto oval Thursday night (April 5) with the second leg of the Blossom Pacing Series and the opening round of the Tie Silk Trotting Series. First race post time is 7:30 p.m.