by Sandra Snyder
Rexdale, ON — Lucks Mistress scooped up her third Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final victory at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday evening, cruising around the Campbellville oval in 1:55.
With regular reinsman Jody Jamieson in the race bike, the two-year-old pacing filly circled three-wide at the quarter pole to take control of the race and simply drew away from the field with every stride.
At the wire Lucks Mistress was one and three-quarter lengths ahead of a hard closing She’s Almost Famous and four and a half lengths in front of third place finisher Pacific Supreme.
Carl Jamieson trains the talented Camluck daughter and has engineered a record of six wins and two seconds from 10 starts for his partners in the Lucks Mistress Stable of Princeton. A C$110,000 purchase as a yearling, the filly has more than repaid her owners in her first season at the races, banking $258,982.
Mohawk fans were also treated to a pair of Gold Eliminations for the talented three-year-old pacing colts on Saturday.
L H Stryker captured his second Gold Elimination victory in the first split, delivering a major upset to reigning Gold Final champion Armbro Balmoral.
Armbro Balmoral looked like a winner when he took control of the race heading for the three-quarter pole and started to draw away from the field, but the fan favourite gave way in the final strides to L H Stryker and Pokagon and was forced to settle for third.
Steve Condren gave L H Stryker a savvy drive to score the 1:51.3 victory, stalking the pacesetters from fourth through much of the mile and then pulling to the outside behind Pick A Trail heading toward the three-quarter pole. As the colts straightened out for home, Condren asked the Apaches Fame son for an additional gear and L H Stryker responded with an impressive finishing kick that propelled them to the one length victory.
Ladino Fiori of North York and trainer Kyle Reibeling of Clifford share ownership of L H Stryker, who has amassed a record of seven wins, two seconds and one third in 13 starts this season.
The top five colts from each elimination will return to Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday, October 9 for their second last Gold Final and D Essential and Pick A Trail earned their spots in the C$130,000 contest with fourth and fifth place finishes in the opening elimination.
The second pacing colt elimination saw the favourite fare better as Geartogear coasted to an easy three and one-quarter length victory over Mata Harry, stopping the teletimer in 1:52.3. Former Gold Final winner Armbro Brando finished more than eight lengths back in third.
Saturday’s start was Geartogear’s first of the season in the Ontario Sires Stakes program. The Grinfromeartoear son has spent the summer locking horns with the top sophomore pacing colts in North America, achieving victories in a division of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Stake and an elimination of the Meadowlands Pace. Brett Pelling trains the colt for Perfect World Enterprises of Old Westbury, New York and North America’s leading driver Ron Pierce piloted him to the Gold Elimination win on Saturday.
Fourth and fifth place finishers Grin Some More and Galantine Hanover also secured laces on the starting gate in next weekend’s Gold Final.