from the Ontario Sires Stakes

London, ON — London area fans got a look at Ontario’s talented 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings on Tuesday evening (Oct. 3) as the novices wrapped up their Gold Series season at The Raceway at Western Fair District.

With a berth in the Oct. 14 Super Final at stake, driver Doug McNair and Bo Mach set the tenor for the evening in the first $51,840 division, firing away from post one and stacking Jimmy Freight and Burning Midnight up to their right through the opening turn. Bo Mach reached the quarter pole in :27.4, but that was the last fraction he would clock without company. By the :57.1 half Burning Midnight was sitting on his flank and that colt continued to press the pace through the 1:25.4 three-quarters.

After a fierce stretch battle it was Burning Midnight with a neck in front of Bo Mach in 1:55.1. Unable to find a way up the inside, frustrated fan favorite Jimmy Freight settled for third, 1-1/2 length behind the leaders.

Louis-Philippe Roy drove Burning Midnight to his first Gold Series win for trainer Corey Giles and owners Brad Gray and Denise Guerriero. The Mach Three-Respectednbeloved son also captured a Grassroots trophy in his Ontario Sires Stakes debut at Mohawk Racetrack on July 20. The victory boosted Burning Midnight into the top ten point earners and landed him a berth in the C$225,000 Super Final.

AG Photography

St Lads Neptune paced into a Super Final berth with a 1:55.3 Gold Series victory.

The second division saw St Lads Neptune leave smartly from post one and claim an early lead before ceding to Levis Day before the :28.2 quarter. Yacht Seelster led the charge up the outer lane as Levis Day led the field to a :58 half and 1:26.3 three-quarters, but it was fan favorite St Lads Neptune who slipped out of the pocket and on to a two length victory in 1:55.3. Levis Day stayed game for second and Sharp Action Money closed well for third.

“He totally jogged tonight,” said driver Jody Jamieson of St Lads Neptune. “He got the best trip possible on a half-mile track though, and that really helps.”

Jamieson drives the Mach Three-Sunbather son for his father, trainer Carl Jamieson, and Thomas Kyron. In seven lifetime starts the gelding has tallied five wins, including Grassroots victories at Clinton Raceway on Aug. 27 and Mohawk Racetrack on Sept. 4. St Lads Neptune finished third in his Metro Pace elimination at Mohawk on Sept. 16, but came up a bit sick for the Sept. 23 final and finished ninth.

“He had a high white blood cell count after the Metro, so that was real disappointing, because I thought he’d go with them,” said Jamieson. “Hopefully he stays healthy enough to race them again at the end of the month.”

Before he heads south for the Oct. 21 Breeders Crown eliminations at Indiana’s Hoosier Park, St Lads Neptune will compete in the Oct. 14 Super Final after squeaking into ninth spot in the point standings with Tuesday’s win.

The winner of the third division will also compete in the Super Final, and trainer Casie Coleman is hoping Western Passage is poised for a strong finish to the season after a mid-summer hiccup caused him to miss six weeks of racing action.

“After his second in the second Gold (July 20), I really though he cheated on me and needed to be gelded,” said Coleman. “So I gelded him and we lost a lot of time, as he got a lot of complications after and went in for a second surgery.

“He’s coming around now again, hopefully in time for the Super Finals. He’s a really nice colt.”

Starting from post four with driver Doug McNair in the race bike, Western Passage was sitting third when favorite Simple Kinda Man reached the quarter in :29.3, but he did not sit there long as McNair quickly sent the colt after the leader. Although Western Passage had a nose in front at the :58 half Simple Kinda Man did not give way without a fight, and the colts were by the 1:25.4 three-quarters before Western Passage finally took control and powered away from the field to an eight length victory in 1:55.4. Declan Seelster finished second and Hudson Phil closed hard for third.

Coleman shares ownership of Western Passage with her partners in the West Wins Stable, along with John and McKinlay Fielding and Calhoun Racing Ltd. With one win, two seconds and one seventh in Gold Series action the Sportswriter-Ever Western son finished the regular season in third spot in the standings with 102 points.

The top 10 point earners will compete for C$225,000 and divisional honors in their Oct. 14 Super Final at Mohawk Racetrack, part of the Ontario Sires Stakes’ C$1.8 million season finale.