by Greg Blanchard, media/communications, Woodbine Entertainment Group

Campbellville, ON — Maddam Luck used a dramatic late rally to score a major upset in Monday night’s (July 23) first Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final of the season for 2-year-old filly pacers at Mohawk Racetrack.

With Steve Condren at the controls, the daughter of Northern Luck-Mattercycle sat well back off hot early fractions of :27, :55.2 and 1:23.4. Last week’s elimination winner, Find A Penny, supplied all the speed but began to tire as the field entered the stretch.

At that point, Mark MacDonald exited the pocket with Lilbitfasternow, who got by the leader but had a wall of fillies closing in behind her.

Maddam Luck was widest of all and out in about the eight-wide path by the time they hit the finish, but she had enough to get by them all for the 1:52.4 lifetime best performance. Lilbitfasternow finished in second while Find A Penny managed to hold on gamely for the show spot. The winner returned a hefty $68.20 for a $2 ticket.

“This mare has had a lot of talent all along, and Steve Condren is one of the best,” said co-owner/trainer Bill Hamm. “I was very happy with the fast half, and Steve had her in the right position. Right from day one, she always had a ton of speed and had the smarts. She’s a sparky little filly, and the off-the-pace style is the way to go with her. We’re happy with the way things worked out.”

The victory was the second of the campaign in just four starts for the filly who is co-owned by Craig Turner, Craig Moore and Mhairi Kersel. The winner’s share of the purse boosted her seasonal bankroll to $75,509.

Rookie colts shine in opening round of The Dream Maker

Robertthebruce and Legacy N Diamonds were both impressive winners of their respective C$15,000 divisions in Monday’s opening round of the Dream Maker Series for 2-year-old colt and gelding pacers.

Robertthebruce, a son of Real Desire, stopped the clock in 1:54 for driver Brad Forward while Legacy N Diamonds, sired by The Panderosa, scored in his split in 1:54.1 for driver Chris Christoforou.

In the opening division, Robertthebruce was sent straight to the front by Forward from post one and led until the halfway point, when he suddenly made a brief break and veered to the outside of the track. That allowed pocket-sitter Shadow Play to scoot up the inside of the pacesetter and challenge for the lead.

The top two then battled side by side through a :28-second third quarter and continued to wage war in a :27.4 final frame with Robertthebruce edging past late for a quarter-length tally.

“He’s just a young horse and he caught his eye to something up the backside,” said driver Brad Forward. “He stepped over something, so I put him in the center of the racetrack. I wasn’t fully asking him in the stretch, but I kept at him to keep his attention on the rest of the race.”

It was the first career start for the $125,000 yearling who is trained by Bill Elliott for owner Antonio Chiaravalle — the same man who owned the series’ namesake.

Legacy N Diamonds also took command from the outset in the second split and laid down all the fractions of :28.1, :57.3 and 1:27.2, before turning on the jets with a :26.4 final quarter. He held off stablemate Santanna Blue Chip by three-quarters of a length with Zepplin Blue Chip another length back in third.

Trained by Carl Jamieson who co-owns along with Ken Henwood, the colt also survived a slight bobble at the top of the stretch to remain perfect in just two career starts.

“The colt switched gears so fast tonight, he almost made a break,” said winning driver Chris Christoforou. “He had a monstrous burst of speed in the lane. I was surprised how much go he had in the lane. Carl Jamieson has really come up with another pair of monstrous colts and has proved once again that he should have three O’Brien Awards by now.”

The Dream Maker Pacing Series continues next Monday night at Mohawk.