from the Ontario Sire Stakes

Campbellville, ON — Current Ontario Sires Stakes trotting queen Muscle Baby Doll captured her third straight Gold Series trophy with a 1:53.1 victory at Mohawk Racetrack on Thursday evening (July 16).

Starting from post two the 3-year-old Muscle Mass daughter took control of the race heading for the halfway marker and driver Doug McNair simply sat back and enjoyed the ride, which resulted in a personal best 1:53.1 clocking.

“She’s been really good all year. She hasn’t been beat in the Sires Stakes yet,” said McNair. “Tonight I just chirped her a little bit and she did the rest on her own. She sure felt like she had a second left, I don’t know if she did or not, but she felt like it.”

Muscle Baby Doll cruised under the wire 1-3/4 lengths ahead of former Gold division winners Elegant Serenity and Amoureuse Hanover. The three fillies are currently sitting atop the division standings in the same order of their finish with 150, 80 and 67 points, respectively.

Tony O’Sullivan conditions Muscle Baby Doll for F. Bellino and Sons LLC and he is thoroughly enjoying training and racing the talented filly.

“I’m pretty happy, pretty proud of her. It’s pretty exciting to have such a nice filly,” said O’Sullivan. “She’s pretty fun to train and pretty fun to watch.”

With a record of five wins and one second in six starts since her May 9 debut, O’Sullivan said Muscle Baby Doll will get a vacation from the racetrack over the next few weeks, returning to action for the fourth Gold Series event at Grand River Raceway on Aug. 19.

“I’d like to just use the time to let her freshen up a little bit and give her a break,” said the trainer. “After Grand River she doesn’t have a week off, so it works out pretty well now, there’s a month and she can freshen up.”

O’Sullivan also started You’re Majestic in the second Gold division, but the Majestic Son daughter settled for fourth spot behind first-time winner All That Sparkles.

With James MacDonald in the race bike, All That Sparkles accelerated away from post three and was able to lay claim to the coveted pocket spot behind heavy favorite Stubborn Belle. Stalking the pacesetter through fractions of :26.2, :56 and 1:25.3, MacDonald bided his time until the final turn and then gave All That Sparkles a clear view of the finish line. The filly shifted into another gear and accelerated away from the field to a four length victory in 1:54.2. After being forced out three-wide to find racing room, Second Sister and LMC Marshmellow settled for second and third.

Jonas Czernyson trains All That Sparkles, and shares ownership and breeding credit on the daughter of Deweycheatumnhowe and Chocolate Tiara with his wife Christine. All That Sparkles is the first horse the Czernysons have raced in the Ontario Sires Stakes program and they were pleasantly surprised with her victory.

“She’d been getting sharper and sharper, I didn’t know that she was going to do it like that, that I have to say,” admitted Jonas Czernyson. “She doesn’t really have that quick burst of speed. She has the speed, but she can’t pop out of a hole halfway down the stretch and do it, she has to have a little longer time to get up to speed.”

Raced just four times last season, All That Sparkles had eight starts to her credit prior to Thursday’s test, and had posted one second and three thirds. Czernyson said she was an awkward, growth filly at two and has only just begun to grow into her lanky frame.

“She’s grown into herself some, but she still has some more growing to do, she’s pretty long-legged,” said the trainer.

If All That Sparkles is happy and healthy following Thursday’s victory and the return trip to her New Jersey home, Czernyson said her next start will likely come in the Aug. 7 Duenna Stake at The Meadowlands, followed by the fourth Gold at Grand River Raceway on Aug. 19.

Next up on Mohawk Racetrack’s Ontario Sires Stakes schedule are six Grassroots divisions for the 2-year-old pacing colts on Friday night. The colts will be featured in races two, three, five, seven, nine, and 10 on the 7:25 p.m. program.