by Jeff Renton, media/communications, the Woodbine Entertainment Group

Toronto, March 6, 2005… A handful of mares had legitimate shots at the wire during the C$53,400 finale of the Ontario Girls Pacing Series at Woodbine Sunday afternoon, but after a field-sweeping drive orchestrated by Chris Christoforou, Simply Lucky ($15.00, $7.10, $4.90) persisted through a strong stretch headwind and scored a neck victory in 1:55.3.

WEG Photo.

Simply Lucky (9) narrowly defeated Alls Well and Lucky For Her at the wire in the final of the Ontario Girls Pacing Series.

Sitting well of the tempo through hot fractions, the Joe Stutzman-conditioned Simply Lucky was 6¾-lengths off the speed at the three-quarters and four lengths in arrears at the head of the lane. Racing widest of all as the wire loomed, Christoforou and the daughter of Camluck got up in the late going and sealed the deal in style.

After both racing on the outer tier through the final turn, Lucky For Her ($4.20, $3.00) and Alls Well ($3.70) were each just at neck back at the wire and figured into the $56.60 exactor and $226.20 triactor.

Starting from the ninth post position in the field of 10, Simply Lucky and Christoforou elected to go to the back of the pack as a large majority of the four-year-old mares decided to leave with relative authority.

As Lucky For Her (Rick Zeron) reached the quarter-pole in :27.4, Christoforou and Simply Lucky sat at the end of the train in tenth, 9½-lengths back.

“When the gate opened I looked over and everybody was leaving but me,”

Christoforou said in the paddock afterwards. “My horse has one move and if I used her early from the nine-hole I knew I wasn’t going to get much.”

Having been parked to the quarter, Early Dismissal (Luc Ouellette) cleared shortly thereafter and was instantly pressed by Paradise Of Grins (Roger Mayotte). Racing to the half in :55.1, Paradise Of Grins recorded the second call, but never did get to settle of the pylons. While the action was furious up front, Simply Lucky lurked from last, 10 lengths off the pace.

The tussle on the front-end didn’t end there though.

After briefly giving the lead back to Early Dismissal, Paradise Of Grins was still overland as she tripped the third call in 1:23.4. At this point, six horses were racing on the outer tier, ready to fan out for a winning bid.

Ready to unleash her powerful move, Simply Lucky was pulled off the cones by Christoforou and angled widest of all for her charge home. Cutting through the devastating breeze, the bay mare narrowly defeated Alls Well and Lucky For Her at the wire.

Tricky Fame (Jody Jamieson) and Dreamcometrue (Mark MacDonald) picked up the final two cheques.

“The way the wind is playing havoc with them down the stretch they have to be strong getting home,” continued Christoforou. “It just worked out for us and the fractions were big enough for us to catch them at the wire.”

Toronto, Ontario’s Banjo Farms, Marvin Goodman and Albert Sandler own Simply Lucky, who is now a five-time career winner out of the Abercrombie mare Simply Ravishing.

“You really can’t think that you are going to win sitting last going into the last turn at Woodbine,” Christoforou concluded. “But just the way the wind was and with the three-quarters in 1:23 and change and a mile in [1]:55, the way the race set up just suited her perfectly.”

Y Chance It does it again

Wiring his foes in Sunday’s C$50,000 Open Trot, Y Chance It ($5.20, $3.10, $2.30) recorded his fastest win time of the season, as he stopped the clock in 1:55.1 for driver Randy Fritz.

Conditioned by co-owner Ron O’Neill for his partners Paul Larrabee and Lynda Franklin, Y Chance It threw down :28, :56.4 and 1:24.4 speed before notching a three-quarters of a length victory over JM Vangogh ($2.80, $2.30), who bottomed out the $12.20 exactor after closing hard.

Treasure Hunt ($2.70) finished 1½-lengths back in third and completed the $32.30 triactor.

Yet again, Y Chance It is having another fine start to his 2005 campaign.

The victory was the 30th of Y Chance It’s career.