by Ashley Mayotte, WEG communications

Toronto, ON — Texas Ridge and driver Sylvain Filion pulled off an 80-1 shocker in their C$35,000 Don Mills Trotting Series division on Thursday night (Feb. 16) at Woodbine.

The Richard Gillock trainee also lowered his lifetime mark to 1:55.2 in notching his second win of the season in six starts.

New Image Media photo

Texas Ridge was a 1:55.2 winner in his division of the Don Mills Series.

Texas Ridge followed behind fractions of :27.2, cut by Mr Joe Sixpack (Scott Zeron), :57.4, clocked by Bullet (Keith Oliver) and 1:25.3, put up by the 3-5 favorite and first leg winner, Jessesjo (Jody Jamieson).

The 5-year-old son of Tom Ridge-Texas Winner found late speed in deep stretch to score the 1-1/4 length victory over a late-rallying P L Daley (Chris Christoforou). Kinda Kool (Paul MacDonell) finished third. Jessesjo’s win streak was ended at six with his fourth-place finish.

“Last week I had the perfect second-over trip and the horse in front of me made a break, so I had to take a hold of him a bit and he made a break too,” said Filion. “He wasn’t trotting really good last week. He wasn’t that smooth. So we were careful tonight with the rail and we ended up with another second-over trip and down the lane he just exploded. He felt great.”

The seven-time career winner has banked $116,836 in lifetime earnings for lessee Robert Key of Leechburg, Pa. Texas Ridge returned $163.80 to win.

In another division, Dukester, who was driven by Chris Christoforou, also won in an upset. The 5-year-old gelding scored at odds of 19-1 for trainer Ken Switzer.

Bookem (Scott Zeron) cut out fractions of :28.3, :57 and 1:25.4 before a parked-out Here Comes Numbers (Randy Waples) took the lead at the top of the stretch.

But it was a hard-closing Dukester who bested the even-money favorite by three-quarters of a length. The 5-year-old gelded son of Duke Of York-Sputters stopped the teletimer in 1:56.2. Classic Viking (Billy Davis, Jr.) finished third.

The six-time career winner, who won his second race in five starts this year, has lifetime earnings of $68,091 for owner Don Culham of Cambridge, Ontario. Dukester paid $40.20 to win.

Three of last week’s divisional winners contested the first Don Mills dash. Slip Into Glide, Charlie Is A Joker and Run And Tell Pap all put their game face on, but it was Run And Tell Pap and driver Jody Jamieson who made their way to the winner’s circle.

From post 10, the Meg Crone pupil scored in gate-to-wire fashion, putting up splits of :28.4, :58.3 and 1:27.1 before opening up a 3-1/2 length lead to get under the wire in 1:55.2.

Charlie Is A Joker (Sylvain Filion), who couldn’t catch the 8-5 favorite when he advanced first-up from fourth past the half, ended up second. A second-over Slip Into Glide (Mario Baillargeon) finished third.

The 5-year-old gelded son of High Falls-Adele’s Jade extended his win streak to three. The 22-time career winner has stashed away $186,464 in lifetime earnings for owners Jerry and Theresa Silva of Long Beach, N.Y., and Patrick Graham of Pittsfield, Ill. Run And Tell Pap returned $5.50 to win.

The C$75,000 final of the Don Mills, for 4- and 5-year-old trotters in 2012, non-winners of C$150,000 lifetime as of midnight, Dec. 31, 2011, is set for Monday (Feb. 27).