by Sandra Snyder, for the Ontario Sire Stakes

Campbellville, ON — She was impressive in her Gold elimination win last weekend, and ranks among the favorites in this Sunday’s C$120,000 Gold Final at Mohawk Racetrack, but trainer Kevin O’Reilly admits that last season Feels Like Magic was a bit of a klutz.

“She was just clumsy, there’s no other way to say it,” explains the Moffat, ON resident. “She was too fast for her body, and she would get tangled up in herself. She doesn’t do that this year, because she’s that much stronger.”

Feels Like Magic demonstrated both her strength and her speed in last weekend’s elimination, laying down a :27.2 final quarter to claim a half length victory over Bella Dolce and pacesetter Duchessofnorthyork. More than nine lengths off the pace in the early stages of the mile, Feels Like Magic and driver Bill O’Donnell employed a come from behind strategy that saw them stalk Bella Dolce on the outside before bursting past the leaders in the stretch.

“She can go fast that one,” notes O’Reilly, who trains the filly for the Feels Like Magic Stable. “She could always go fast, she just needed to get a little stronger and grow up a bit.”

O’Reilly prepped Feels Like Magic for her sophomore stakes debut with an outing in a non-winners of two contest at Mohawk on May 1. The daughter of Kadabra and Doyenne started from post one and cruised to a runner-up finish in the 1:59.3 mile, and O’Reilly says she was well within herself.

The race was the filly’s first start since a September 29 Gold Final where she made a miscue in the middle of the race and finished ninth. O’Reilly and the partners in the Feels Like Magic Stable — Tine Nielsen, Dr. Dan McMaster and Dr. David Powell — had never intended to push the filly hard in her freshman campaign and figured the error was their cue to quit.

“As soon as she made a mistake we put her away,” recalls O’Reilly. “We put her in the paddock for three months and let her grow up a bit. I brought her back about the second week of January.”

With one elimination down, the conservative strategy seems to have paid off, and Feels Like Magic will have another opportunity to reward her connections for their patience in Sunday’s eighth race. O’Donnell will send the filly after the lion’s share of the C$120,000 purse from post one, while the other two elimination winners, Somebody To Love and Its My Time, get posts four and nine.

Ten fillies who missed the top three in last week’s elimination round will compete in the C$20,000 Gold Consolation in race four.

Also on the program at Mohawk on Sunday evening are a pair of Gold eliminations for the 3-year-old trotting colts, with four of last season’s top five money earners geared up to renew their rivalry.

Last season’s number two colt Pizzazzed, owned by Fox Valley Standardbreds, will start from post nine in the first C$40,000 elimination, with Sergeant York lining up in the second tier at post 11 for Tony Holmes and Walter Zent. B Strike Three gets post four in the second split for Ben Robards III, with O U Gus lining up to his right from post seven for breeder Glengate Farms and trainer Jerry Duford.

Local colt O U Gus heads into Sunday’s skirmish off a pair of solid victories in overnight action at Mohawk Racetrack. The Angus Hall son and driver Bill O’Donnell were 1:58.2 winners on May 1 and scored a narrow 1:57 victory on May 9.

All four colts are looking forward to getting the jump on rival Windsong Espoir, who went undefeated in his freshman Ontario Sires Stakes campaign, but has yet to make his sophomore debut.

Post time for Sunday’s on track program is 6:30 p.m., but the trackside action gets underway at 5:30 p.m. with face painting, pony rides, petting zoo and other fun-filled activities for the kids. The trotting colts are featured in races two and five, the 3-year-old trotting filly Gold consolation goes postward as race four and the Gold finalists will battle for C$120,000 in race eight.

Following the live racing program, fans will be treated to Mohawk’s spectacular fireworks display.

Entries – Mohawk Racetrack Gold Events – Sunday, May 18, 6:30 p.m

Race 2-C$40,000 3-Year-Old Colt Trot Elimination
HN-Post-Horse (Sire)-Driver-Trainer
1-Post 8-Remarkable Man (Angus Hall)-T.B.A.-J. Bax
1A-Post 10-Dandy Duke (Duke Of York)-S. Byron-S. Byron
2-Post 1-Society Kad (Kadabra)-C. Christoforou, Jr.-S. Gilmour
3-Post 2-The Mash Potato (Potato Race)-M. Saftic-B. Spence
4-Post 3-Kobra Ray (Kadabra)-M. Baillargeon-J. Sugg
5-Post 4-Andiron Springs (Striking Sahbra)-J. Moiseyev-F. Colville
6-Post 5-Logans Hero (Angus Hall)-J. Jamieson-E. Miller
7-Post 6-Nureyev (Striking Sahbra)-Ma. MacDonald-W. Companion
8-Post 7-Worthy Advantage (Angus Hall)-K. Rose-R. Auciello
9-Post 9-Pizzazzed (Kadabra)-M. Baillargeon-M. Ford
10-Post 11 Sergeant York (Duke Of York)-K. Oliver-L. Walker

Race 5-C$40,000 3-Year-Old Colt Trot Elimination
1-Bold As Blazes (Angus Hall)-P. MacDonell-D. McCall
2-J S Chisum (Southwind Lustre)-B. Watt-K. Davidson
3-Wildcat Shoes (Kadabra)-P. MacDonell-T. O’Sullivan
4-B Strike Three (Striking Sahbra)-R. Zeron-R. Mackenzie
5-I Know Magic (Kadabra)-T. Ritchie-D. Jannone
6-Hot And Coldplay (Angus Hall)-L. Ouellette-C. Beaver
7-O U Gus (Angus Hall)-W. O’Donnell-J. Duford
8-Hit The Mark (Striking Sahbra)-J. Jamieson-R. Fellows
9-Start Livin (Striking Sahbra)-P. MacDonell-D. Creighton
10-Define The World (Duke Of York)-P. MacDonell-J. Bax
11-Zorgwijk Impact (Armbro Ricochet)-S. Byron-C. Stewart

Race 8-C$120,000 3-Year-Old Filly Trot Final
1-Feels Like Magic (Kadabra)-W. O’Donnell-K. O’Reilly
2-Tymal Sophia (Striking Sahbra)-K. Oliver-D. Creighton
3-Duchessofnorthyork (Duke Of York)-L. Ouellette-K. McMaster
4-Somebody To Love (Angus Hall)-L. Ouellette-D. McCall
5-Whatta Hotty (Yankee Paco)-G. Whelan-J. Whelan
6-Beyond Limits (Angus Hall)-M. Baillargeon-S. McEneny
7-Delphic (Striking Sahbra)-Ra. Waples-R. Laarman
8-Only Lonely (Yankee Paco)-L. Ouellette-C. Beaver
9-Its My Time (Angus Hall)-R. Zeron-J. Takter
10-Bella Dolce (Kadabra)-P. MacDonell-R. Norman
AE1-Daylon Mistress (Duke Of York)-J. Moiseyev-Ro. Waples
AE2-Whatever Lolawants (Incredible Abe)-Ma. MacDonald-M. Keeling
AE3-Kadealia (Kadabra)-J. Moiseyev-B. Teague