by Ashley Mayotte, WEG communications
Campbellville, ON — Trainer Pat Fletcher is glad to see that Dreamfair Eternal, Canada’s reigning Horse of the Year, is back to her old self and ready to take on the continent’s top older pacing mares in this Saturday’s (September 24) C$400,000 Milton Stakes final at Mohawk Racetrack.
Lisa photo
Dreamfair Eternal will score from post two in the Milton Stakes final.
Dreamfair Eternal has won seven races in 12 seasonal starts, including the Roses Are Red at the Campbellville oval and Lady Liberty and Golden Girls events at the Meadowlands. The 52-time career winner boasts earnings of $629,630 in 2011 and $2,260,323 lifetime for owner and breeder John Lamers.
After a sixth-place finish in the 2009 edition, Dreamfair Eternal came back in 2010 to win the Milton final and now the 7-year-old champion will look to capture the rich final for the second year in row.
“It would be great (to win the Milton Stakes a second time),” said the conditioner. “We’ve made a lot of money between the Roses Are Red and the Milton so we are happy to be in it and race for that kind of money.”
Fletcher is confident in his classy mare, especially with her impressive performance in her $51,000 Milton elimination.
“We were very happy with the way she raced in the elimination after coming off of being sick the start before,” said the Hagersville resident. “In the A Spring Of Hope, she came out of the race sick, so we were happy to see that she was back and back with a vengeance actually.”
The daughter of Camluck-J Cs Nathalie shared last Saturday’s elimination victory with the Mark Kesmodel-trained Anndrovette. The two mares crossed the wire together and a photo finish revealed a dead-heat.
This was not the first time Dreamfair Eternal was involved in such a close finish.
“We won the Roses Are Red in a win photo and I am not complaining after any more photos after that,” he laughed. “There was a three-way photo for the win and you can watch the video replay a hundred times and still not see how we won, but in the win photo we just won it by a nose.
“She raced great so we’re happy to be healthy and sound and ready to go,” he said.
Dreamfair Eternal is a force to be reckoned with and Fletcher says his double millionaire is such a great racehorse because of her personality.
“She loves to race,” he explained. “She is there for one reason and she knows it. Randy (Waples) told me he was just a passenger last week. She had it in her mind to go and get them. She is ready.”
Dreamfair Eternal and Waples will leave from post position two in the Milton Stakes final, which is carded as the sixth race. First post time is 7:10 p.m.
Also on Saturday evening, the 3-year-old divisions of the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Semi-Finals will be contested.
Here’s how the pacing mares will line up behind the gate for the final:
PP–Horse–Listed Driver
1. Maureen Rocks–Scott Zeron
2. Dreamfair Eternal–Randy Waples
3. Chancey Lady–George Brennan
4. Anndrovette–Tim Tetrick
5. Seriously–Rick Zeron
6. Laughandbehappy–Jody Jamieson
7. Didrickson–TBA
8. Warrawee Koine–Luc Ouellette
9. Ticket To Rock–Sylvain Filion
10. Blissful Smile–Jack Moiseyev