from the Ontario Sires Stakes

Campbellville, ON — With a break in action between Ontario Sires Stakes Gold events for 3-year-old pacing colts, several of the regular competitors stepped up to compete with the upper echelons of this division in Grand Circuit action over the past few weeks.

Among those was Boomboom Ballykeel, the winner of last year’s $648,850 Metro final at Mohawk against the top North American colts. The son of Mach Three, owned and bred by Cam McKnight’s Balllykeel Racing Inc., of Tillsonburg, Ontario, won his first start of his 3-year-old season in the first OSS Gold event of the year. On May 23 at The Raceway at Western Fair, he cruised to a 1:56.2 effort over the half-mile oval for regular driver Sylvain Filion.

Following that he raced in the open competition in the Somebeachsomewhere stakes, where he finished fourth and the North America Cup eliminations where he failed to qualify for the final with a seventh place finish.

He’s back amongst his Ontario-sired rivals Saturday night (June 28) at Mohawk in the first of three C$70,000 OSS Gold eliminations. He’s drawn post four in race two with Filion in his familiar position in the bike.

That race will take place a few hours after Boomboom’s baby brother, Big Bang Ballykeel, competes in one of 15 qualifying races Saturday morning at the Campbellville track. The 2-year-old, also by Mach Three, starts from post eight in the third test of the day.

Unfortunately there won’t be any more brothers to follow in their hoof prints as their dam, Teig N Riley, had to be euthanized last year due to a chronic laminitis condition.

The second Gold division Saturday night finds two colts who also competed in the NA Cup eliminations. Jet Airway, a son of Jereme’s Jet from the same stable as last year’s NA Cup winner Captaintreacherous, finished fourth in his elim but was not drawn to start in the final. He has post eight in his Gold split, race six.

The other NA Cup starter in that race is Silverhill Shadow who will start alongside in post seven for Chris Christoforou. The son of Shadow Play won his most recent start, a leg of the Summertime at Mohawk last week by more than four lengths in 1:53.

Moore and Christoforou will also partner on Play It Again Sam in the third division, race eight. Also a son of Moore’s former stable star Shadow Play, the colt has drawn post four. Right beside him in the three spot is another Shadow Play offspring, High Flier, who comes into the contest with two straight wins including an OSS Grassroots event at Mohawk earlier this month.

Post time for Saturday night’s races at Mohawk is 7:25 p.m. To view the complete card, please use this link.