The upsets continued in Ontario Sires Stakes Gold action on Sunday evening as the three-year-old trotting fillies battled in two divisions at Georgian Downs.
After a mid-card deluge that saw the track downgraded from ‘fast’ to ‘sloppy’, the fillies squared up for the first division in the seventh race. Fans had established Magic Presto, a winner in the Gold Series season opener and the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association Stake, as the heavy favourite from Post 5, with On A Sunny Day and the other June 8 Gold winner, Sweet Of My Heart, as their second and third choices.
As the gate swept away from the field of eight Sweet Of My Heart left smartly from Post 1, but before the :27.4 quarter the early leader was on an extended break and out of contention. Janderson inherited the lead and took the field to a :57.3 half, but driver Sylvain Filion had On A Sunny Day on the move from third and Magic Presto and driver Trevor Henry were hot on their heels. On A Sunny Day took command before the 1:26.2 half and was almost immediately under pressure from Magic Presto. The fillies matched steps through the final quarter and it took a photo to determine the winner; On A Sunny Day by a nose in 1:54.4. Magic Presto settled for second and Majestic Kat finished well behind the duelling leaders in third.
It was the second win of the season for On A Sunny Day and her first in sophomore Gold Series action. As a two-year-old the daughter of Muscle Mass and Dicent No was a four-time winner at the Gold Series level, banking $183,750 for owner Determination of Montreal, QC. Luc Blais of Lochaber Ouest, QC bred and trains the filly.
In the second division, the final race of the evening, fans sent Milton, ON resident Filion and his mount Royal Witch off as their top choice, but locked in a battle with Paradise Image for top spot Royal Witch also skipped off stride. Left alone on the front third choice Paradise Image cruised effortlessly through fractions of :28.2, :58, and 1:27.3 on her way to a three and one-half length victory in 1:57.1. Mrstery Bear and Tymal Reign rounded out the top three.
“She’s a big, good gaited thing and she’s so handy, she gets off the gate like a rocket,” said driver James MacDonald. “Today she got there easy, and I wouldn’t have minded following Sylvain, but his made a break so I just, once he run I just kind of took the front and the rest is history.”
MacDonald drives Paradise Image for trainer Mike Keeling of Cambridge and owners P C Wellwood Enterprises Inc. of Cambridge, Paradise Stable of Hamilton, Dale McNeill of Campbellville and Ron O’Neill of Puslinch, ON. The Guelph resident stepped into the Kadabra daughter’s race bike at the beginning of June and, while they have had success, it has occasionally been a perilous place to reside.
“I started driving her a couple weeks ago. She can act up a little bit in the post parade, she can be pretty bad, so they asked me if I minded driving her, and I said ‘No,’ and she’s been good, she’s raced good all three times I drove her,” explained MacDonald. “She was first up her first start in the Gold (June 8) and was third, and then she win out of the two-hole last week (June 19), and today she win on the front.
“She doesn’t turn. Turning is a problem. Sometimes she’ll run out the gates, and sometimes she’ll kick, she’s not a real treat in the post parade to drive sometimes,” said MacDonald about the filly’s behavioural quirks. “Today she was an absolute kitten, she didn’t do anything wrong, but she can perform from time to time.”
MacDonald relied on the assistance of the Georgian Downs outrider to make the turn into the starting gate and to escort the filly back to the winner’s circle. They will have another opportunity to be guided to the Gold Series winner’s circle on July 22 when the fillies compete in Leg 3 at Mohawk Racetrack.
Georgian Downs will welcome the Ontario Sires Stakes program back to Innisfil next Saturday, July 8, hosting the Grassroots debut of the two-year-old trotting colts. The first race goes behind the starting gate at 7:15 pm.
(James MacDonald; Ontario Sires Stakes photo)
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