by Ashley Mayotte, WEG communications

Toronto, ON — I Found My Beach, a top performing freshman pacer, will be noticeably absent from the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals on Saturday night (Nov. 12) at Woodbine Racetrack.

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I Found My Beach banked $197,577 in 2011.

It was a disappointing moment for Hall of Fame trainer Bob McIntosh when he found out that his 2-year-old gelding, who finished third in the OSS divisional standings, was done for the year, just one start shy of his biggest race to date.

While training the homebred son of Mach Three-Ohio Annie at his farm, I Found My Beach and McIntosh were coming into the last turn when the bay crossfired and made a break.

He paced well afterwards, but by the time the pair got back to the barn, the gelding was off on his front foot. The four-time O’Brien Award winning conditioner hoped it was just bruised.

“He did it once before earlier in the year and he came out of it fine,” recalled McIntosh. “When he didn’t get better in three or four days I had the vet over to x-ray it and it showed a hairline crack in the coffin bone.”

It’s an injury that requires time to heal.

McIntosh, who owns a piece of the gelding with Robert Kauffman and Pat Ryan, said it was unfortunate timing, but since the Super Final was going to be I Found My Beach’s last start of the season, the veteran trainer knew the best thing was to start the gelding’s winter layoff early and give him some well earned rest.

“I was very disappointed,” he said. “He would have had a real shot at being first or second, I think. Carl Jamieson’s horse (Warrawee Needy) is awful good, but I would have liked to have a chance to race against him again. But, there is nothing you can do about it. It is part of the business.”

A business that has it ups and downs. The best way to deal with the ‘downs’? Remain positive.

“The good news is that he should be back in good shape for next year,” McIntosh said. “I always thought he would be a good horse, but he really turned into something special.”

The Windsor, Ontario, resident still has a chance to take home a Super Final trophy with Class Of O Nine. She is a 2-year-old pacing filly who finished atop of her divisional standings in both earnings and OSS points.

He’s hoping the hard-luck filly can get back on the winning track.

“After her last start, she was off form,” noted McIntosh. “We scoped her and she had a touch of mucus and blood mixed in with it. I trained her on Lasix and I was very pleased with her. She qualified on Lasix (on Nov. 3) and Randy (Waples) said that was the strongest she’s ever felt at the wire.”

The homebred daughter of Camluck-Skippin School has four wins and two second-place finishes in 11 lifetime starts and $213,630 in career earnings for McIntosh, who also co-owns the filly with Dwight Stacey.

Waples and Class Of O Nine will leave from post position eight in her C$300,000 Super Final, which is slated for the fourth race on Nov. 12.

“I feel pretty confident with her, actually,” McIntosh said of his classy filly. “Cautiously optimistic that we have a pretty good shot. There are some nice fillies in there, but nobody I’d trade places with.”