by Sandra Snyder, for the Ontario Sire Stakes

Campbellville, ON — Rick Zeron landed a pair of 2-year-old trotting fillies in the C$50,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Mid-Summer Consolation at Mohawk Racetrack on Monday (Aug. 5) and the trainer-driver is expecting solid performances from both Aphrodity and Mayberry.

“I hope we have a big night Monday,” says Zeron. “They both trained very well (Friday) morning.”

Aphrodity will make her third lifetime start from post two in Monday’s second race. The daughter of Striking Sahbra and Sunshinenlollipops made an early break in the first leg of the Gold Series at Mohawk on July 5 and finished fourth, then delivered a third-place result at Georgian Downs on July 23 to qualify for the Consolation.

“She was way too excited leaving the gate,” says Zeron of the filly’s debut performance. “Then I was pretty careful at Georgian with her, and she finished third. I’m looking for big things from her in there Monday.”

Zeron and his partner, The Camel Club Stable, bred and own Aphrodity, who is a half-sister to their $800,628 winner Lady Rainbow. The horseman is expecting continued improvement from the novice trotter, who he describes as a big, strong filly.

Zeron’s son Scott will handle the lines on Mayberry in Monday’s consolation, sending the Kadabra daughter after her first win from post eight. The filly heads into her third start off a scary blown tire in the July 23 event at Georgian Downs that relegated her to the back of the seven-horse field.

“The tube wrapped around the frigging wheel. It took her right out of contention,” recalls Zeron. “It was like she was pulling five or six race bikes at once.”

Zeron says the filly seems unaffected by the mishap and should be back to the form that saw her finish a hard-closing second in the July 5 season opener at Mohawk.

“We just have to put it behind us and move forward,” says the horseman, who shares ownership of Mayberry with Fred Brayford and James Walker. “She’s a real nice trotting filly.”

The half-sister to $288,031 winner Margarita Mary was a $22,000 purchase at last fall’s Standardbred Horse Sale.

Mayberry, Aphrodity and their 2-year-old trotting filly peers will kick off the Mid-Summer Challenge event in race two on Monday evening. The freshman trotting colts will battle in their C$50,000 Consolation in race three and races five and seven feature the C$150,000 Challenges for the top 10 point earners in the 2-year-old trotting filly and colt divisions.

Post time for Mohawk Racetrack’s Civic Holiday Monday event is 7:25 p.m.

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