by Karen Briggs, WEG media department

Campbellville, ON — Bob McIntosh pupil Nebupanezzar gave early notice of impressive pacing talent on Sunday night (July 20) as he captured the C$120,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Final for 2-year-old colts and geldings in 1:54.

New Image Media photo

Nebupanezzar was a 1:54 winner in the OSS Gold Final.

A full brother to The Mohegan Pan, who was triumphant on Saturday in his elimination for the Canadian Breeders’ Championships, Nebupanezzar was the heavy favorite in a field which also featured World Away (younger brother to top open pacer Mister Big) and OK Boromir, who was undefeated in two starts so far.

Longshot Windsong Fortune (Jason Brewer) shot to the early lead from the extreme outside and set early fractions of :26.3 and :55.4, but Steve Condren brought Nebupanezzar alongside and cleared to the front shortly after the half-mile marker. From there, the son of No Pan Intended-Western Wonder opened up a three length lead, rebuffed challenges from OK Boromir (Gene Piroski) and LH Remachable (Mark MacDonald) and crossed the wire a confident length to the good over OK Boromir. World Away and Jody Jamieson, who endured traffic trouble for most of the mile, made a late rush to take third money.

Bred and owned by the Peter Pan Stables, Nebupanezzar now has two wins in three starts to his credit, and earnings of $79,347. He improved his career clocking by one-fifth of a second with the victory.

Freshman fillies are In Free

A promising group of 2-year-old trotting fillies went postward — many for the first time in their lives — in the first leg of the In Free Series at Mohawk.

In the first of the two splits, favorite Raising Rachel, a daughter of Yankee Glide, out of Raising The Bar (a half-sister to Casual Breeze), overcame going off-stride just after the start to win by a neck over pacesetter Elusive Desire (Paul MacDonell). Trotting Income (Don DuPont) was third.

Melvin Hartman, George F. Hempt, the KR Stable, and Douglas W. Millard own Raising Rachel, who was the only filly in the compact six-horse field with previous racing experience. She was a $75,000 yearling purchase at Harrisburg last year, and was also a winner in her one previous effort at Flamboro Downs. Jack Moiseyev piloted the filly to the win in a pedestrian 2:04.3.

The second split also went to the favorite, Keystone Betty, who demolished her admittedly green competition by 11-1/4 lengths, coming home in 2:01.4. The daughter of Windsong’s Legacy-Keystone Brittany, with Steve Condren in the bike, cleared to the front after a first quarter of :31, with the pacesetter Possess Me (Mario Baillargeon) tucking in behind. By the half, there were two lengths separating these two, with Babycakes Eden (Thomas Smith) trailing by another six lengths in third. Keystone Betty continued to open up her lead, with first-time starter Possess Me gamely following. The winning time was 2:01.4.

John Kopas trains and co-owns Keystone Betty along with breeder George F. Hempt. The filly was third in her only previous start at Flamboro Downs.

Tickets were refunded on Northern Daisy in this split, after she was ruled not to have had a fair start.

Dream Maker Series showcases young pacing talent

A pair of C$15,000 first legs of the Dream Maker Series, on Monday night (July 21) at Mohawk, will be the stakes debut for a number of promising 2-year-old pacing colts.

Carl Jamieson is sending out a double entry in the first of the two divisions (race one, post time 7:20 p.m.): Chief Of The Beach (Real Desire-Beachy Lady) and Stampede Seelster (Western Hanover-Slick Gaited). Both youngsters have impressed in their debuts, having scored victories in their divisions of the Bud Lite Series at Flamboro Downs; Stampede Seelster followed that up with a solid third-place effort in a C$16,000 2-year-old conditioned race at Mohawk on July 13. Together the stable entry is rated the prohibitive 6-5 favorite going into the Dream Maker. Jamieson has tapped Jason Brewer to drive Stampede Seelster, while his son Jody will sit behind Chief Of The Beach.

Erv Miller trains a colt named Automatic Slims (Bettor’s Delight-Natchitoches) who’s rated the 2-1 first choice in the second Dream Maker split (race three, post time 8:02 p.m.). Though he only has one start under his belt, Automatic Slims has already had a taste of the winner’s circle, having won by 2-1/4 lengths at Hawthorne Racecourse in Cicero, Illinois. This will be his first start on Canadian soil, and he’ll have Mark MacDonald in the bike to guide him.

Also worth watching in the second division is a recent immigrant from PEI, Dr. Ian Moore’s Justin Art (Artsplace-Vidalita Hanover). The purses are as small as the island in PEI, so Justin Art has only earned $765 while scoring a win and a second in two starts, but the colt seems destined for bigger things and may find Mohawk’s more expansive oval to his liking. He’s rated 7-2 in the morning line.

The second leg of the Dream Maker Pacing Series goes on July 28, with the C$56,000 final on August 4.