by Jeff Renton, Woodbine Entertainment Group

Campbellville, June 1, 2004… Having never broken stride in any of her previously charted racelines, it came as quite a shock to see Bunny Lake on the run both after the quarter-pole and before the third call in last Saturday’s third leg of The Classic Series at Mohawk.

Jeff Renton photo

Bunny Lake relaxes in the paddock, with John Stark Jr.’s assistant Joe DeCarlo, following Tuesday morning’s qualifier.

So, during Tuesday morning during qualifiers, with the draw for the series finale looming in the Race Office, Bunny Lake was looking to stay flat over the Campbellville seven-eighths.

And flat she did stay, as the prestigious daughter of Precious Bunny sat in the three-hole for the majority of the mile and finished second, pacing her mile in 1:57 even.

Driven on the morning by WEG’s leading reinsman Luc Ouellette, and rigged by conditioner John Stark Jr.’s assistant Joe DeCarlo, Bunny Lake looked cool as a cucumber in the paddock after her morning stroll.

Agreeing that the skips that had been put in last week by the heralded champion were completely uncharacteristic, DeCarlo was quick to shed light on what made the career-earner of $2,414,407 jump it off.

“The hopples had stretched out on her [during the race],” said DeCarlo. “And today we just wanted to get her around.”

While speaking to DeCarlo, Make It Brief, the race winner who was in her stall beside one of the queens of the Aged Pacing Mare division, was relaxing after her victorious mile.

“We got the better of Bunny Lake today,” chuckled one of Make It Brief’s handlers with a smile after taking in the impromptu discussion.

Co-owned by Stark Jr. along with his partner Wendy Spring of the W Springtime Racing Stable, Bunny Lake will now set her sights on the mile and three-eighths finale of the Classic Distaff, which is part of a super Saturday night card at Mohawk.

“We were planning on having her out in the field right now,” continued DeCarlo, “so we will put her out for a couple of days and probably jog her on Friday.”

Erkki Laakkonen’s five-year-old Garland Lobell mare Cameron Hall, with Trevor Ritchie in the stirrups, went gate-to-wire in the second of the morning dashes, scoring by 4¼-lengths in 1:57.3. Trained by Gary Bourgon, Cameron Hall was supposed to make her seasonal debut on May 17 at Mohawk, but was a vet’s scratch (sick). Finishing third, trotting his mile in 1:58.3, Bertolio and driver Paul MacDonell put in a mile for trainer Paula Wellwood.

Owned by Wellwood Stables Inc., Bertolio, a four-year-old Lindy Lane—Berto Baby horse, was making his first charted mile of the year and has $160,194 in career earnings.

Western Affluence finished fourth (three lengths in arrears) with driver Steve Condren during the third race, which was won by Tropic Cavalier and clocked in 1:58.2. A three-year-old son of Western Hanover—Affluence who is co-owned by trainer Bob McIntosh, John Fielding and the CSX Stables, Western

Affluence put in his second qualifier of the year after banking $146,825 from a 4-1-3 record in 14 starts last year.

Quality Western, 2003’s Oliver Wendel Holmes champ, was also supposed to compete in the third dash, but was a scratch.

With Condren at the helm, In Conchnito, an O’Brien and WEG Award winner as 2003’s Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year, won the fifth qualifier of the morning by four lengths in 1:58.2. Co-owned by trainer Bob McIntosh along with Dave Boyle and the CSX Stables, In Conchnito (King Conch—Inas Gaetane) was 6-3-2 and banked $382, 052 in 17 starts as a freshman.

Southwind Califon (1:59.1), Briars Luck (1:59), Merit Badge (1:58.2) and Onyx Seelster (2:00.3) were victorious in the rest of the morning races.