Elora, ON — Hall of Fame conditioner Bob McIntosh will send out a pair of hopefuls in the Battle of Waterloo final next week, following a sweep of the two C$15,000 eliminations contested Monday night (July 31) at Grand River Raceway.

In race seven, reinsman Bob McClure secured the first of two bids for McIntosh, guiding Always A Thrill to a half-length score in 1:57.2.

After drawing the pole position, McClure pushed the Bettor’s Delight gelding out through a :29.4 first quarter, where he was able to secure a two-hole trip behind Stopwatch, a He’s Watching gelding driven by Doug McNair and trained by his father Gregg McNair.

Max Patrick and driver Jody Jamieson rushed out of fourth to blitz the pacesetter coming first over through a half of 1:00.1, before jumping it off at the three-quarter pole which was set in 1:29.3. As a result of the miscue, Always A Thrill had a clear shot at the leader turning for home, which allowed McClure to pull out of the pocket ahead of the final turn, where he converted comfortably for the score.

Bob McIntosh bred, trains and co-owns Always A Thrill, who captured his first career win in three starts and has now accrued C$14,440 in earnings. He paid $3.90.

McIntosh wasn’t done in the Battle of Waterloo eliminations, as another one of his homebred rookies, Do Better, put forth a winning effort in the second elimination, in a 1:56, front-stepping score.

Despite drawing the outside and with a host of leavers to his inside, reinsman Sylvain Filion decided to drive on with this gelded son of Bettor’s Delight, taking control of the lead after taking a park through a :27.4 first quarter. After making the lead, Do Better was able to take control, going to the half in an uncontested :57.2.

Chalk Hanover and McClure made a first-over bid and almost got to the wheel of the pacesetter, before losing separation. Do Better reached the three-quarters in 1:27.3, before he accelerated away from pocket-sitter Enforcer in the final quarter, en route to a 1-1/2 length score.

Do Better remains perfect through four starts this season for owner/breeder/trainer McIntosh, and has now earned C$78,550. He paid $3.20 to win.

McIntosh will now have two opportunities to try and add to his lone victory in this marquee event, which he last did in 2014 with Go Daddy Go. The pair of McIntosh trainees earned a protected draw between posts one and five with their elimination victories. Max Patrick was the fifth-place finisher drawn by lot to make the final. The field for the C$205,200 Battle of Waterloo, presented by Winbak Farms, appears below:

PP-Horse (Listed Driver, Trainer)
1-Max Patrick (Jody Jamieson, Gabriella Sasso)
2-Chalk Hanover (Bob McClure, Dave Menary)
3-Do Better (Sylvain Filion, Bob McIntosh)
4-McWicked Time (James MacDonald, Robert Robinson)
5-Always A Thrill (Bob McClure, Bob McIntosh)
6-Stopwatch (Doug McNair, Gregg McNair)
7-Manhawk (James MacDonald, Paul Reid)
8-Crush Kill Destroy (Tyler Borth, Per Engblom)
9-Enforcer (Doug McNair, Gregg McNair)
AE1-Carribean Sports (Trevor Henry, Robert Kyle Fellows)
AE2-Erinwood Bigrig (Jody Jamieson, Carl Jamieson)

The debutante complement to the Battle of Waterloo, the Battle of the Belles, featured two eliminations on the Monday card, with both of them being captured by reinsman Louis-Philippe Roy.

The first elimination went to the Bettor’s Delight filly Collusion Hanover, courtesy of a first-over score.

Despite drawing the five-hole, Bonitas Best Bet and Doug McNair were able to bolt out of there to the lead through a :28 first quarter. Collusion Hanover got away fifth off the gate but was instantly sitting fourth after 4-5 favorite Wicked Weather broke stride shortly after.

The Luc Blais trainee angled out and made a first-over bid towards the pacesetter, just after the half which was set in :58.3. Raffle Winner was sitting a perfect-second over behind her back, but gapped as they approached the three-quarter pole which was clocked in 1:28.

Collusion Hanover was toe-to-toe with Bonitas Best Bet turning for home and paced on by to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:56.4. How Much finished a close third and T H Jackies Legacy finished a distant fourth.

Blais conditions Collusion Hanover for Determination. She has now won two races in four starts and bankrolled C$19,242. She paid $6.90 to win.

Roy wasn’t done there, as Pass Line, a filly by All Bets Off, allowed the reinsman another trip to the winner’s circle in the second of the Battle of the Belles eliminations.

Pass Line motored through a :28.1 first quarter as the heavy favorite and cleared to the lead. Once she got there, she never looked back. She slowed the pace toward a :57.2 half, where Peeler made a first-over bid, but to no avail, fading to fourth. After reaching the three-quarters in 1:27, Pass Line began to open up on her foes, where she was a shutdown winner in 1:55.3. Greatest Pleasure, who sat a two-hole trip, was second and Pasta Delight was a distant third.

This homebred filly for Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi is trained by Dave Menary. She now has four wins in five starts on the year and has padded her earnings to C$83,178.

The top four finishers from each elimination advanced to the C$138,400 Battle of the Belles final, with each elimination winner earning a guaranteed draw between posts one and five. Cheese Party was the fifth-place finisher drawn by lot to round out the field. The field as they will align appears below:

PP-Horse (Listed Driver, Trainer)
1-Collusion Hanover (Louis-Philippe Roy, Luc Blais)
2-Greatest Pleasure (Jean Rene Plante, Luc Blais)
3-Peeler (Bob McClure, Bob McIntosh)
4-Pass Line (Louis-Philippe Roy, Dave Menary)
5-Cheese Party (Trevor Henry, Kyle Bossence)
6-Bonitas Best Bet (Doug McNair, Dave Menary)
7-Pasta Delight (Jody Jamieson, Anthony Beaton)
8-How Much (Bob McClure, Dave Menary)
9-T H Jackies Legacy (Travis Cullen, Jodie Cullen)
AE1-Raffle Winner (Sylvain Filion, Desiree Jones)
AE2-Wicked Weather (James MacDonald, Anthony Beaton)

Both the finals for the Battle of Waterloo and the Battle of the Belles will be the featured events on the Monday (Aug. 7) race card at Grand River as the Elora oval will host the 34th edition of Industry Day with a card that will also feature Ontario Sires Stakes Gold for 3-year-old pacing fillies. First-race post time for the Industry Day card is 12:30 p.m. (EDT).
Racing otherwise returns to Grand River on Wednesday (Aug. 2) with a 10-race card that starts at 6:30 p.m.