(Photo of Caprice Hill and Randy Waples courtesy of New Image Media)
Reigning Ontario Sires Stakes champion Caprice Hill picked up where she left off last season, capturing the three-year-old trotting filly Gold Series season opener at Mohawk Racetrack on Monday evening.
In rein to Milton resident Randy Waples, fan favourite Caprice Hill took command before the quarter-mile marker and led the field of seven through fractions of :28, 56.2, and 1:25.2 before sailing under the wire a five and one-half length victor in 1:53.3. Major Muscle trotted into second, while Celebrity Eventsy finished third in her Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) debut.
Tom Hill of Hamilton, ON owns Caprice Hill, who won four of five Gold events as a two-year-old, including the season ending Super Final. The Kadabra daughter also triumphed in her division of the Champlain Stakes and the elimination and final of the Peaceful Way Stakes, banking $593,295 during her freshman campaign. Through three sophomore starts the Tony Alagna trainee now has two wins and one second for an additional $108,582.
The second $105,000 division saw Kadabra daughter Emoticon Hanover and driver Sylvain Filion waltz home to a three and three-quarter length victory in 1:57 after stealing easy mid-race fractions. The fans’ second choice, Emoticon Hanover bested Tymal Tempest and Dottie, with fan favourite Catch A Mission settling for fourth.
“It turned out to be an easy race for her, which I like,” said Milton resident Filion. “It’s a long season, so when you can get an easy race like this it’s a bonus.”
Filion engineered the win for trainer Luc Blais of Lochaber Ouest, QC and owner Determination of Montreal, QC. The win was the second in three sophomore starts for Emoticon Hanover, who was a two-time Gold Series winner at two and also captured her Champlain Stakes division on the way to a $219,258 season.
“This year she seems way more handier than last year. Last year she was a little tricky, you know, but this year she’s more mature and she looks a lot stronger,” added Filion. “She didn’t grow much, but she is a lot stronger I think.”
The three-year-old trotting fillies make their second Gold Series start on July 16 at Mohawk Racetrack, and Campbellville area fans will get a look at their Grassroots counterparts on Tuesday, June 14 when they compete in six $18,000 divisions. The Grassroots fillies will battle in Races 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, and 10 on the Tuesday evening program, which gets under way at 7:30 pm.
More Industry News