from WFA Media Relations

London, ON — There was no denying Foiled Again in Friday night’s (May 27) C$300,000 Molson Pace final, Western Fair Raceway’s signature harness racing event. The 7-year-old Dragon Again gelding was making his third appearance in the Molson Final.

Last year he finished a close second to his stablemate Won The West and the year before he was the heavy favorite but encountered terrible traffic and had to settle for fifth.

Iron Horse Photo

Foiled Again won the Molson Pace on Friday in a time of 1:51.3.

The race saw Legal Litigator, with Brett Miller a late sub for injured driver Mark MacDonald, fly to an early open length lead. He hit the quarter in :27.2 and was at the half in :55.4. But at that point Yannick Gingras decided that Foiled Again had sat in the two-hole long enough and pulled on the right line to send his charge after the lead which they accomplished by the three-quarters in 1:23.1.

From that point there was no catching Foiled Again who opened up to win by three lengths in 1:51.3, just two ticks off the stakes record. Art Professor made a brave three-wide move and closed strongly to finish second for Jody Jamieson. Foiled Again’s stablemate from the Ron Burke barn, Atochia, wove through traffic and finished third for Dave Palone. Legal Litigator and Anderlecht picked up the final two cheques.

“I had the best horse and the last thing I wanted was to be locked in,” said Gingras in explaining why he pulled his horse when he did.

“He loves being first up, I was actually planning on sitting outside of the other horse as long as I could but I went around him pretty easy. I didn’t have to chase my horse to do it, he did it on his own. I would have been fine sitting there until the top of the stretch.

“He won at the Meadowlands a couple of weeks ago in the Graduate final so I don’t want to hear that (that the horse is a half-mile specialist). He’s definitely great on a half. I thought he was the horse to beat coming in tonight.

“They (the Burke stable) did a great job. Last week he wasn’t quite as good as he was tonight. Atochia was very good last week. They did some work on (Foiled Again) this week and they have a way of getting him sharp at the right time. The whole crew does a good job and they had him ready tonight.

“This horse shows up all the time. You have some horses they get sick, have all kind of excuses. He never has an excuse; he brings his A game with him. Every time I sit behind him I’m confident.”

When asked by Greg Gangle if there was another horse in the field that he was worried about Gingras said: “I was worried about Atochia. That was the only horse I was worried about. If he had come second-over behind me or tripped out I thought he could give me a run for my money. He can go just as much as my horse but my horse is a lot handier. You can torture him and he likes it actually.”

Foiled Again now has seven wins, two seconds and a third in 10 starts this year for $471,200 in earnings and $2,484,008 lifetime. He is owned by trainer Ron Burke along with Weaver Bruscemi of Pennsylvania and the JJK Stable of Florida.

Friday’s final program of the Western Fair Spring Meet produced some dazzling performances on track and some encouraging numbers at the betting windows.

A total of $484,000 was bet on the card, up significantly from last year. Of that total, $125,000 was bet live at the track, $118,000 was bet in a separate pool at the Meadowlands and the remainder was bet at various Western Fair off track locations.

Strong stakes undercard on Molson Pace night

Friday night was the richest card of racing this year at Western Fair Raceway, but also featured a wealth of other stakes events led by two Ontario Sires Stakes finals and four City of London series finals.

Lukes Sophie is undefeated thus far in 2011 as she recorded her third win in as many starts in the C$130,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold final for 3-year-old trotting fillies.

The race saw L A Freeway and Steve Byron set the tempo, trotting past the opening quarter in :28.1 and the half in :58.2. Just past that marker Jody Jamieson pulled Lukes Sophie out from third and steadily advanced on the leader who reached the three-quarters in 1:27.3.

Lukes Sophie took over the lead and hit the wire first in 1:57.4, just two ticks off the track record. Peach Martini and Rick Zeron got up for second with Oh Sweet Baby and Mario Baillargeon grabbing third. L A Freeway held for fourth.

Trainer Carl Jamieson co-owns the winner with Tom Kyron of Toronto. A $16,00 yearling purchase, Lukes Sophie now has $96,260 earned in just three starts in her sophomore campaign. She made just four starts last year at two.

In the winner’s circle afterwards Jody Jamieson reflected on the accident Thursday night at Mohawk where he and fellow driver Mark MacDonald were unseated.

“It was a very unfortunate situation, this win here is bittersweet. My friend Mark MacDonald is in a hospital bed right now in Hamilton and is in really rough shape. It’s not life threatening but definitely career threatening and it’s hard to be real happy right now.”

With respect to his winning charge he noted: “She always had soundness issues, if she stays sound she’s probably one of the best fillies in the country.

“I didn’t even have to use her, I showed her the whip a little bit around the last turn as she lost track of Steve when she got beside him. I asked her to trot on in the stretch and she was very well in hand. If she stays sound and healthy, the sky’s the limit.”

As for driving for his father, trainer Carl, he noted: “I know they’re ready to race and ready to win. That gives me a big advantage.”

Also winning her third race in as many starts this year was Village Janus who converted a perfect pocket trip to take the C$130,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final for 3-year-old pacing fillies.

Rick Zeron sent Monkey On My Wheel to grab control of the race from Village Janus at the :27.4 opening quarter and led the talented field through middle panels of :57 and 1:26.1. But down the lane it was Village Janus and Yannick Gingras popping out from second to haul down the winner and win in 1:55. Monkey On My Wheel held for second with Look Cheap taking third.

Rod Therres trains and co-owns the winner with Larry Schmidt of B.C. The Modern Art filly upped her 2011 earnings to $90,505. Lifetime she shows $218,968 on her card.

“Last week she got a little bit lonely on the lead, I let her finish on her own so I didn’t mind at all sitting in the two hole,” Gingras commented. “I thought Rick’s filly was the one to beat and I was okay with that. I figured if I sat on her back I’d give her a shot in the stretch.

“I would have been happy with second to be honest with you. I was hoping to get some racetrack. Around the last turn I still thought I was going to be second, the other one was pacing away from me but the minute I showed my filly some racetrack she took right off. She’s real nice.”

Yannick Gingras put Althea M on top just past the opening quarter in :29.4 and never looked back to win the C$55,800 City of London final for mare trotters.

It helped the cause when heavy favorite Defy Time rolled offstride before the 1:00.3 half. Althea M kept her position past the 1:30.4 three-quarters and held off a determined Miu Miu Bi to win in 2:01.1. Miu Miu Bi, a stablemate of Althea M’s from the Per Henriksen stable, had to be content with second with To Dream Again taking third.

A 3-year-old daughter of Ken Warkentin owned by Steve Organ of Aurora and Asa Farm of Norwood, she improved her standings to 2-2-2 in six starts this year. It’s been a busy week for the filly who won her City of London elimination last week and then was right back on Tuesday to contest an OSS Grassroots event where she finished second.

“I raced her here last Friday and put her on the front, she won by a bunch (11 lengths), but she actually was a lot better tonight,” said Gingras. “They got closer to her but she fought them off in the stretch.”

The start to the C$58,600 City of London final for male trotters was delayed by a recall caused when Tymal Tonka went offstride affecting the trailing eight horse Winford Hanover.

However that delay didn’t seem to affect Winford Hanover once the race was actually underway. He got away fourth as Full Force and Yannick Gingras set the early pace with a :29.4 opening quarter. Full Force continued on top by the :59.3 half but had company just past that marker in the form of Vesa T who took over by the 1:29.1 three-quarters.

Winford Hanover and Scott Coulter had followed Vesta T in the outer flow, tucked in briefly in second and then took over command as the field came out of the final turn and was home first in 2:00.4. Tymal Tonka wove through to get second with Vesa T holding for third.

It marked the third win in five attempts and a new life mark for the 3-year-old son of Striking Sahbra owned by Paula and Jean Wellwood and trained by Mike Keeling.

“He’s a nice colt, he’s going to be a really nice horse, he’s got a lot of manners. He’s just learning how to race,” said Keeling. “Scott did a real nice job, he kept him kind of buried right through the last turn just to make sure he didn’t get a little sideways on him.”

The colt is a half-brother to a former Keeling pupil, Wide Angle Hanover, a winner of $445,708 in his career and says the two are opposites.

“Wide Angle was a rank horse, really hard to deal with, this horse is just manners, we have a 12-year-old boy that warms him up some nights. He’s just a perfect horse, a gentleman.”

Classic Call was a bridesmaid in the two City of London eliminations but picked up all the marbles in the C$60,600 City of London final for male pacers.

Bazilla, who had won both of his eliminations of the series, grabbed the lead for Robert Shepherd by the :27.2 opening quarter and fired off middle splits of :57.2 and 1:26.4.

Classic Call, who had a perfect two hole trip for driver Stuart Sowerby, popped out of the garden spot to take over and just edged Bazilla at the wire in 1:56.1. Bazilla was right there for second with Tim The Man third.

A 3-year-old by Your Nemesis, Classic Call is owned and trained by his breeder Steve Gillard of Tavistock, Ontario. The gelding improved his record to 2-2-0 in four starts this year.

“He’s really well conditioned,” said Sowerby. “He’s been really good the first two weeks and the trip just hasn’t worked out for him but tonight he got the perfect trip.”

Patsys Luck displayed poise beyond her years in the C$56,200 City of London final for mare pacers as she overcame being interfered with at the half when one of her rivals broke stride.

Yannick Gingras and Cameron Lucky controlled most of the pace, setting splits of :27.1, :57 and 1:25.3 but Patsys Luck and Mike Saftic came flying up to haul her down in the stretch to win in 1:56.1. Cameron Lucky held for second with Playboy Mansion taking third.

A 3-year-old daughter of Camluck, Patsys Luck is now 3-1-2 in seven starts this year for trainer John Pentland and owners Natalie Pentland and Synerco Ventures.

“I didn’t like the way the trip was setting up and I sure didn’t like what happened just past the half, we were certainly lucky to get around it,” said winning trainer John Pentland.

“The mare really didn’t look good in the turns either. Mike did a hell of a job driving her tonight, he gets all the credit. I was really happy with the win tonight, it’s nice to win in London.”