by Karen Briggs, WEG Media

Toronto, ON — Just six sophomore colts will be going postward in the C$48,200 final of the Apaches Fame Pacing Series on Friday night (March 20) at Woodbine but the race is anything but a foregone conclusion.

Three strong candidates for the championship have emerged in this series: Bob McIntosh trainee, Its A Good Thing; David Gibson pupil, Midnite Romp; and Mark Austin’s Herestopatrick.

Midnite Romp, a gelded son of Million Dollar Cam, was third in the opener of this series two weeks ago, and improved on that last week by finishing second. Western Maverick offspring Its A Good Thing, meanwhile, was second in the opener and scored a win in the sequel, and Herestopatrick, a son of Apaches Fame, emerged victorious in the opening round but faded to fourth last week after leading the field through much of the mile.

Its A Good Thing turned in the fastest win time, stopping the timer in 1:52.2, but overall there is not much to choose between the trio from a betting point of view; they are rated 8-5, 6-5, and 2-1, respectively, in the morning line, though that may change significantly by post time.

Who will become the Apaches Fame champ? All will be revealed on Friday, March 20, at Woodbine. The series final is race three, post time 8:10 p.m. (eastern).