by Sandra Snyder, for the Ontario Sire Stakes

Campbellville, ON — The 2013 crop of freshman pacing fillies opened their Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series season in impressive fashion at Mohawk Racetrack on Monday (July 1).

The novice pacers turned in three sharp miles, with the fastest clocking coming from Book Babe in the last $66,500 split.

In rein to Billy Davis, Jr., the Shadow Play-Attack The Books daughter rocked around the Mohawk oval to a 1:52.4 victory, 5-1/2 lengths ahead of her peers and just four-fifths of a second shy of the Ontario Sires Stakes record for 2-year-old pacing fillies on a seven-eighths-mile oval. Anette Lorentzon trains Book Babe for Brian Stephens.

Davis also won the first division, guiding Brickyard Val to a hard fought neck decision over Yoselin Seelster. The Santanna Blue Chip-Hidden Assets daughter, who stopped the clock at 1:54.2, is trained by Carl Jamieson for Stephen Morton.

Shadow Play-Alias Seelster daughter Alibi Seelster and Paul MacDonell captured the other 2-year-old split in a time of 1:53.3.

Doug McNair also picked up a pair of Ontario Sires Stakes victories at Mohawk on Monday evening, but his success came in the 3-year-old pacing filly division. McNair reunited with last year’s Super Final champion Love Canal for a confident 1:51.3 win and piloted Jettin Jamie to a 1:52.1 clocking.

McNair’s father Gregg trains Jettin Jamie for Thomas Harmer and Gerald Bookmyer and Tony O’Sullivan conditions Love Canal on behalf of Let It Ride Stables Inc., Robert Cooper Stables LLC and J and T Silva Stables LLC.

The other 3-year-old pacing filly trophy went home with Best Impressions, driven to a 1:51.3 squeaker by Jody Jamieson for trainer Ben Wallace.

The 2-year-old pacing fillies make their second Gold Series start at Rideau Carleton Raceway on July 11, while the top point earners from the first two sophomore pacing filly legs will compete in the Mid-Summer Challenge at Mohawk Racetrack on August 10.

Ontario Sires Stakes action returns to Mohawk on Thursday (July 4) with a Gold Series leg for the 2-year-old trotting colts.

For complete results go to this link.

Durand sends pair of posh colts out Thursday

Ontario’s 2-year-old trotting colts get to show off their skills in the Gold Series season opener at Mohawk Racetrack on Thursday (July 4).

Five C$42,000 divisions will go postward at the Campbellville oval and Tom Durand sends a pair of impressively bred youngsters into the fray in the second and third splits.

Dontcheatonmenow, from the first Ontario crop of superstar trotter Deweycheatumnhowe and out of $396,875 winner Magenta Hall, will make his provincial debut from post three in the second division and comes into the test off a 2:02 victory in a June 22 qualifier at Mohawk. Durand and Allan Smith purchased the colt out of last fall’s Standardbred Horse Sale for $30,000.

Jack Moiseyev piloted Dontcheatonmenow in his June 14 and 22 qualifiers and will be back in the race bike for Thursday’s test.

Durand’s second entry is Hitchin A Ride, who gets post three and the services of trotting specialist Trevor Ritchie in the third division. A son of Angus Hall from the prolific mare B Cor Peatra, who counts Chip Dot Com ($561,676), Celebrity Sweedie ($410,910) and Tall Cotton ($395,861) among her offspring, Hitchin A Ride is owned by June Durand, Allan Smith, breeder Lynn Baker and Catherine Baker.

Hitchin A Ride also heads into the Gold Series season opener off a qualifying win at Mohawk, a 2:02.3 clocking engineered by Durand on June 22.

The 2-year-old trotting colts will wage their first Ontario Sires Stakes battles in races one, two, four, six and eight on Thursday, with the first race parading onto the Mohawk Racetrack oval at 7:25 p.m.

For complete entries go to this link.