Stockade Seelster stretched his flawless streak to five with an effortless win in the sole $158,100 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series division at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday night.
The son of State Treasurer was sharp off the gate, leading the field of eight two-year-old pacing colts and geldings to a :26.3 opening quarter. Driver Jody Jamieson of Guelph, Ontario encouraged Stockade Seelster to ease up down the backstretch, and the fan favourites reached the half in :55.4.
Coop A Loop launched a challenge up the outer lane, but Stockade Seelster was comfortably in hand through the 1:24.2 three-quarters and cruised home a one length winner in 1:52. Ace Of Aces closed well to be second and two-time Gold Series winner Write Me A Rose was third.
“It’s always nice to have the opportunity to train a son or a daughter of a good horse that you had years ago,” said trainer Dr. Ian Moore, who guided State Treasurer through his $2 million career. The Cambridge, Ontario resident added that, through the early stages of his career, Stockade Seelster has a great deal in common with his sire. “He got real aggressive after two races and his father did the same, but this guy is a fairly intelligent colt. His father was kind of a bit of a runaway at the end of his two-year-old year, but this guy seems to be coming around.
“Jody has done well with him. He was aggressive again tonight in the race. He (Jamieson) couldn’t really put him in a hole, but he did kind of come back to him in the third quarter, that’s what he said. He was all fire up to the half and then he came back to him in the third quarter.”
For his part, Jamieson has been impressed with Stockade Seelster through the first two months of the two-year-old pacing colt season and has high hopes for his prospects in the weeks ahead, which feature not just Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series events, but open stake action against the best freshman pacing colts in North America.
After a few days of well-earned rest this week, Stockade Seelster will resume training in preparation for the third Gold Leg, on Sept. 3 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Following that outing the colt will compete in the Champlain Stakes on Sept. 10 and the Metro Pace eliminations on Sept. 17, with hopes of advancing to the $850,000 final on Sept. 24. The Gold Series regular season wraps up on Oct. 2 at Flamboro Downs and the $225,000 Super Final, for the top 10 Gold Series point earners, is at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Oct. 15.
“That’s what we’re kind of striving for at this point but, like any two-year-old, they’re always day-to-day and week-to-week. You make plans, but two-year-olds often disrupt those plans,” said Dr. Moore. “But no matter what happens, he’s got close to a quarter million made this year now and we’re very, very pleased. His owners were all there tonight. Sally and Allan MacDonald came up from PEI and Paul MacDonald and Sophie were here as well.”
Souris, PEI resident Sally MacDonald and Toronto, Ontario resident Paul MacDonald signed the buyers slip for Stockade Seelster at last fall’s London Virtual Yearling Sale, offering up $45,000 for the second foal of $237,882 winner Soiree Seelster. Through three wins in Gold Series action and a win in one leg and the final of the Dream Maker Series, Stockade Seelster has earned $237,600.
Complete results from Friday’s program are available here and replays can be viewed on Woodbine Mohawk Park’s YouTube channel.
Ontario Sires Stakes action continues at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Monday, Aug. 22 with three $22,000 Grassroots divisions for the three-year-old trotting colts and geldings. Programs and a live stream are available on the Woodbine Mohawk Park website and wagering is available on HPIbet and Dark Horse Bets.
Replay: Race 7 — Stockade Seelster
(Photo of Stockade Seelster and driver Jody Jamieson courtesy Clive Cohen/New Image Media)
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