by Sandra Snyder
Campbellville, ON — Trevor Ritchie was quietly confident in Elena’s chances heading into Tuesday evening’s Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series Final at Mohawk Racetrack and the Acton resident was proven correct when the filly delivered a solid 2:00.1 victory.
“She raced very well last week, so I was reasonably confident that if she raced like she did last week she was going to give a good showing,” said Ritchie from the winner’s circle. “And if she got a little better — which I think maybe she did tonight — and some of the others weren’t quite as good, I thought she would have a very good chance.”
Leaving from post seven, Ritchie settled the San Pellegrino daughter in sixth place through the early going as favourite Honour Way logged opening fractions of :28.4 and :57.4. Heading for the 1:29.4 three-quarters, the veteran reinsman sent the filly up the outside behind Fan Favourite and then allowed her to power down the stretch to the one and a half length win over Fan Favourite and Honour Way.
“When the wings folded I just looked over and saw what was happening. A couple had made breaks, so I just bided my time and waited for them to get out of the way and then I just crossed over,” explained Ritchie. “Down the backstretch she felt pretty good. I moved her and started to get her into the race a little bit. I got a little bit of cover for a little piece and when I fanned wide at the head of the lane she trotted home well.”
Owned by breeder Wilbur Stoll Lang of Jamestown, Ohio and trainer Christopher Beaver of Delaware, Ohio, Elena started her Ontario Sires Stakes season with a runner-up finish in a Grassroots event at Quinte Exhibition Raceway on August 2. A 2:01.4 win in a division of the August 19 Robert Stewart Stakes at Woodbine earned the filly her ticket into the Gold Series where she has posted one win, one second, one third and one seventh place finish.
The second came in last week’s elimination, where she finished a mere nose behind Philhallmonic in 1:59, and was what indicated to Ritchie that a win was a possibility in the C$130,000 Final.
“Like I say, off the way she raced last week — I was first-up last week and she raced strong to the wire,” recalled the reinsman. “I thought if she got a little bit of a covered trip, like she did, then she would trot through the lane, and she did.”
Elena’s win came as something of a surprise to fans and she returned $21.60 to win, $10.70 to place and $3.80 to show. Lightly rated Fan Favourite paid $21.90 on a place ticket and $6.30 to show and favourite Honour Way’s third place effort was worth $2.10. The exactor returned $335.80 and the triactor paid a hearty $1,360.70.
The two-year-old trotting fillies have one Gold Series race remaining on their schedule, October 30 and November 5 at Western Fair Raceway, and then the top 10 point earners will head to Woodbine for their C$300,000 Super Final.
Pacing colts ready to shine at Mohawk on Saturday
Mohawk Racetrack presents an outstanding showcase of the Ontario Sires Stakes program on Saturday with C$130,000 Gold Finals for the two-year-old and three-year-old pacing colts.
In last week’s elimination round, Geartogear made short work of the opposition, and Clarksburg, New Jersey resident Ron Pierce is looking forward to the return trip to Campbellville to steer the three-year-old pacing colt from post six in the seventh race.
“He handled the bunch he was in with last week, he just crushed them,” says Pierce. “It would take an awful good horse to beat him Saturday. He’s a serious colt and he’s awful good right now.”
The 1:52.3 elimination win was Geartogear’s first start in the Ontario Sires Stakes this season. The Nat Varty-trainee spent most of the summer butting heads with the top colts in North America, winning an elimination of the Meadowlands Pace (July 10) and a division of the Oliver Wendell Holmes Stake (August 7) at The Meadowlands in New Jersey.
Following a fifth place finish in the August 14 Adios Final at The Meadows, owners David and Terry Brooks, of Perfect World Enterprises in Old Westbury, New York, opted to give Geartogear a well deserved rest from the stakes trail. In preparation for last weekend’s Gold Elimination the Grinfromeartoear son started once at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky and Pierce was impressed with the difference in the young pacer.
“It was his first start in quite a while so we wanted to give him as easy a race as possible, still win the race, but make it easy for him,” says Pierce of the September 25 victory. “I sat in as long as I could and then came second or third over and when I tipped out I had my hands full going in 1:50. He was extremely sharp.
“He’s an extremely fast horse, he just had some bad luck in the big (races).”
Pierce, North America’s leading driver, will be doing his best to buck that trend for Geartogear in Saturday’s C$130,000 Gold Final.
Two races before Pierce takes to the stage with Geartogear, the two-year-old pacing colts will do battle in their own C$130,000 Gold Final and trainer Ed Lohmeyer is hoping Pacific Admiral can build on the 1:52.2 elimination victory he scored last weekend.
“He was a little slow coming along, that was his first win the other night,” says Lohmeyer. “But he paced home real well.”
The Camluck son will take a run at another victory from post seven in the fifth race and Campbellville resident Chris Christoforou will be back in the race bike for Cream Ridge, New Jersey resident Lohmeyer and his partner John Stoddard of Pennington, New Jersey.
“I think he’s a nice colt, I don’t think he’s a great colt yet,” says the horseman. “Chris (Christoforou) has done a wonderful job bringing him along. I’m really happy with the way he has developed him.”
Like Geartogear, the elimination marked Pacific Admiral’s debut in the Ontario Sires Stakes program. He learned his early lessons in the non-winners of one race class at Woodbine before tackling the top colts in North America in the Champlain and Nassagaweya Stakes at Mohawk and has a record of one win and one second in seven starts.
While Lohmeyer would love for the gelding to make another trip to the Mohawk winner’s circle on Saturday, he is doubtful that Pacific Admiral can best the other elimination winner, Isle Of Patmos, from post six.
“There’s one colt in there that is very tough, he stands out, but the rest of them, (Pacific Admiral) can go with them,” says Lohmeyer. “And I’m not greedy. If I get a cheque I’ll be happy.”
Mohawk Racetrack’s first race goes postward at 7:40 p.m. on Saturday, with the pacing colts’ C$130,000 Gold Finals featured in races five and seven.
MOHAWK RACETRACK GOLD FINALS — SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9
RACE 5 — C$130,000
Post – Horse – Sires – Driver – Trainer
1 – Fastest Rustler (Rustler Hanover) M. Saftic G. McNair
2 – Astronomical (Astreos) Dr. I. Moore Dr. I. Moore
3 – Make My Day (Astreos) Ra. Waples D. Marfisi
4 – Zooka (Astreos) M. Baillargeon B. Wallace
5 – Must Be Matt (Barnett Hanover) J. Gale R. Siddall
6 – Isle Of Patmos (Astreos) L. Ouellette M. Capone
7 – Pacific Admiral (Camluck) C. Christoforou E. Lohmeyer
8 – Lincoln Parke (Astreos) J. Jamieson C. Jamieson
9 – Loverboy Hanover (Island Fantasy) P. MacDonell C. Ryder
10 – Tobruk (Grinfromeartoear) R. Mayotte R. Atkin
RACE 7 — C$130,000
Post – Horse – Sires – Driver – Trainer
1 – D Essential (Apaches Fame) L. Ouellette S. Forbes
2 – Mata Harry (Armbro Operative) C. Christoforou D. McCall
3 – Armbro Brando (Island Fantasy) P. MacDonell B. Pelling
4 – Grin Some More (Grinfromeartoear) J. Jamieson M. Wells
5 – Galantine Hanover (Grinfromeartoear) Ra. Waples Br. Robinson
6 – Geartogear (Grinfromeartoear) R. Pierce N. Varty
7 – Pokagon (Armbro Operative) C. Christoforou T. Pinske
8 – Pick A Trail (Straight Path) R. Mayotte R. Jeffries
9 – Armbro Balmoral (Camluck) M. Baillargeon B. Wallace
10 – L H Stryker (Apaches Fame) S. Condren K. Reibeling
AE1 – Freedom Hanover (Rustler Hanover) Ra. Waples Br. Robinson