by Sandra Snyder
Campbellville, ON — A pair of Angus Hall daughters were impressive winners in two-year-old trotting filly Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series action at Mohawk Racetrack on Tuesday evening.
Reigning Gold Final champion Honour Way and Chris Christoforou seized control of the first Gold Elimination just past the opening quarter and cruised home to a three and one-quarter length triumph over first time OSS starter Fan Favourite and former Gold Final winner World Class Image.
The win was only the second of the season for Honour Way, who made her career debut in a Gold Elimination at Windsor Raceway on August 25. After capturing the September 1 Gold Final the talented young trotter turned her hand to Grand Circuit Stakes at Mohawk where she posted a pair of runner-up finishes and one third in three starts.
Trainer Dave Tingley of Guelph shares ownership on Honour Way with driver Christoforou of Campbellville, Goin My Way Stable of Holland, Pennsylvania and Murray Goldberg of Longboat Key, Florida.
Mohawk Racetrack fans wisely sent the filly off as their top choice and earned $3.00, $2.50 and $2.20 on each win, place and show wager. Fan Favourite returned $8.40 and $4.10 to place and show and second choice World Class Image paid $3.20 to show. The exactor was worth $17.80 and the triactor returned $67.70.
Fourth and fifth place finishers Northern Bonnet and Lookit round out the finalists for next week’s C$130,000 Gold Final from the first elimination.
Philhallmonic overcame post nine in the sixth race to score her first ever win, trotting under the wire in a sharp 1:59. Driver Patrick Lachance allowed the filly to float off the starting gate and sit on the outside through the first half of the mile before making his move to the front. Under pressure through the remainder of the mile, Philhallmonic fought off runner-up Elena to secure the victory by a nose. Maleficent, owned by Thomas and Sherri Vincent of Belwood and June Durand of Puslinch, was three lengths back in third and Heartful Image and Spiaggia also advanced to the Gold Final.
The win moved Philhallmonic one step closer to repaying her $115,000 purchase price to owners Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, Charles Armstrong of Brampton and Dr. Scott Anderson of Campbellville. Through nine starts the Rene Laarman trainee has one win, two seconds and earnings of $63,206.
Philhallmonic repaid her supporters with $10.20, $3.70 and $3.80 dividends, while second choice Elena returned $4.80 and $4.10 to place and show and long shot Maleficent’s third place effort was worth $9.50. The exactor paid $46.90 and the triactor was worth $626.10.
The top five finishers from each elimination will return to Mohawk Racetrack on Tuesday, October 5 for the fourth C$130,000 Gold Final on their freshman calendar.
Golden night at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday
Mohawk Racetrack features an exceptional evening of Ontario Sires Stakes racing on Saturday, featuring the two-year-old pacing filly Gold Final and a pair of Gold Eliminations for the three-year-old pacing colts.
Freshman pacing filly Lucks Mistress will be looking for her third Gold Final victory from post seven in the fifth race, and heads into the C$130,000 contest off an effortless 1:53.4 victory in last week’s elimination round.
“As long as she stays good she’s likely the best two-year-old filly in the Ontario Sires Stakes,” says trainer Carl Jamieson. “But they’ve got to stay sound. There are some big races left.”
Jamieson’s opinion of the Camluck daughter is born out by her record in the Gold Series. Through five starts Lucks Mistress has posted four wins, two in elimination action and two in Gold Finals. She has not been bested in provincial action since her career debut on July 1, where she finished second in a Gold Elimination.
In addition to her Sires Stakes success, Princeton resident Jamieson and his partners in the Lucks Mistress Stable have given the filly an opportunity to test her skills against North America’s best. Over the last month Lucks Mistress competed in the Robert Stewart, She’s A Great Lady and Champlain Stakes, holding her own against the American-bred competition in all but the September 4 She’s A Great Lady Final where she made an uncharacteristic break.
“She didn’t really warm up good that night,” says Jamieson, adding that a change to aluminium shoes may have been part of the problem. “Sometimes they can’t handle the aluminium shoes, it puts too much pressure on the legs of the young horses. We went back to steel shoes and she seemed a little better in them.”
In addition to Lucks Mistress, Jamieson will also harness Ingrid Bergrin in the C$130,000 Gold Final. A two-time Gold Elimination winner, the Grinfromeartoear filly finished fourth behind Claires Apache last week in her first start since the August 20 Robert Stewart Stakes.
“She got caught in and couldn’t get out, but she raced really well. She had the nine hole too,” says Jamieson, who shares ownership on the filly with Jerry Jamieson of Blenheim, Thomas Kyron of Etobicoke and Dr. Robert Boyce of London. “And she should be a lot tighter this week off a race mile. That should help a little bit, we hope so anyway.”
Jody Jamieson qualified both fillies for the Final and will drive Lucks Mistress on Saturday, while Carl Jamieson steps into the race bike behind Ingrid Bergrin. The pair will make their bid for a top finish from post one.
Once the freshman pacing fillies have battled their way around the Mohawk oval, the three-year-old pacing colts will step to centre stage in races six and 10. With just two regular season events remaining before the C$300,000 Super Final, competition will be intense between the colts hovering near the current cut off for the top 10.
“In the next two, if he can have some luck, hopefully he can get into the Super Final,” says trainer Scott Forbes of D Essential, who currently sits in tenth spot with 50 points.
The Apaches Fame gelding already has one Gold Elimination win to his credit and would love to score another on Saturday, but faces stiff competition in the sixth race from reigning Gold Final champion Armbro Balmoral. D Essential and driver Ron Pierce will start from post four, while Armbro Balmoral gets post five.
Perfect World Enterprises of Old Westbury, New York own D Essential and also have a starter in the second Gold Elimination. Geartogear will start from post six in the eight horse field and Pierce will be in his regular position in the race bike behind the Nat Varty trainee.
The top five finishers from each Gold Elimination will return to Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday, October 9 for their second last C$130,000 Gold Final.
Post time for this Saturday’s OSS showdown is 7:40 p.m., with the two-year-old pacing filly Gold Final slated for race five and the three-year-old pacing colts facing off in races six and 10.
ENTRIES — MOHAWK RACETRACK GOLD FINAL & ELIMS — SAT. OCT. 2
RACE 5 – C$130,000
Post – Horse – Sire – Driver – Trainer
1 – Ingrid Bergrin (Grinfromeartoear) C. Jamieson C. Jamieson
2 – She’s Almost Famous (Apaches Fame) Ra. Waples J. Gillis
3 – E Business (Run The Table) P. MacDonell J. Koelln
4 – Helena Handbag (Northern Luck) K. Rose R. Auciello
5 – Whitesand Trick (Astreos) M. Vanderkemp C. Curran
6 – Northern Diligence (D M Dilinger) C. Christoforou M. Brethour
7 – Lucks Mistress (Camluck) J. Jamieson C. Jamieson
8 – Pacific Supreme (Camluck) C. Christoforou E. Lohmeyer
9 – Lady Dillinger (D M Dilinger) M. Baillargeon G. Hebert
10 – Claires Apache (Apaches Fame) M. Saftic G. McNair
AE1 – Takes The Cake (Camluck) R. Mayotte R. Mayotte
RACE 6 – C$59,931
Post – Horse – Sire – Driver – Trainer
1 – Freedom Hanover (Rustler Hanover) Ra. Waples Br. Robinson
2 – Pokagon (Armbro Operative) C. Christoforou T. Pinske
3 – L H Stryker (Apaches Fame) S. Condren K. Reibeling
4 – D Essential (Apaches Fame) R. Pierce S. Forbes
5 – Armbro Balmoral (Camluck) M. Baillargeon B. Wallace
6 – Pick A Trail (Straight Path) R. Mayotte R. Jeffries
7 – Elm Grove Operativ (Armbro Operative) M. Saftic G. McNair
RACE 10 – C$60,431
Post – Horse – Sire – Driver – Trainer
1 – Mata Harry (Armbro Operative) P. MacDonell D. McCall
2 – Grin Some More (Grinfromeartoear) J. Jamieson M. Wells
3 – Armbro Brando (Island Fantasy) P. MacDonell B. Pelling
4 – Galantine Hanover (Grinfromeartoear) Ra. Waples Br. Robinson
5 – Flashy Baron (Rambaran) J. Moiseyev H. Holland
6 – Geartogear (Grinfromeartoear) R. Pierce N. Varty
7 – Rocketboy (Pacific Rocket) K. Rose R. Auciello
8 – Im In Luck (Camluck) M. Baillargeon J. Kopas