TORONTO, JULY 20, 2023 – The Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) is descending on Woodbine Mohawk Park this weekend with six Gold races on Friday and Saturday and each division going for over $100,000.
Pacing freshman are the centre of attention on Friday night with a pair of divisions each for the boys and girls. Jimmy Freight filly Resilience is one to watch in race two, the first OSS race of the evening a $102,200 for two-year-old pacing fillies.
Driver Louis-Philippe Roy co-owns the colt with Ecurie Francis Richard Inc, Ecurie Csl, and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, and sat behind her in the Grassroots on July 13 where she won by an astonishing eight lengths.
It was her second straight eye catching performance, following a five length win in a qualifier on July 4, and Roy isn’t surprised by her early success.
“Since day one she was training with the top set of eight or nine babies we have with Eric Nadeau,” said Roy. “She has always just been mature and doing things better than anyone else. Even the ones that were training really good, she just looked like something different.”
Her performance in the Grassroots was so impressive that the morning line oddsmaker has listed her as 4-5. Roy will leave from post seven on Saturday night, a similar post to the nine she had in her debut, where she showed good gate speed making the front and pacing the first quarter in 27.0.
“I like to think she can race from anywhere,” said Roy. “I know the way she qualified and raced last week; it looks like she is hot but that’s not really the case. I hope I can race her whatever way; it depends on what the other horses are like and if there is early speed in the race.”
Eric Nadeau trains the filly, who Roy said has undergone a shoeing change since her last race, and the result is she feels more solid.
In the other pacing fillies division Roy is sitting behind Pass Line who is looking to build on her success in the first Gold Leg on July 11 where she won her third straight start to begin her career.
The Dave Menary trainee has shown impressive speed, with a 25.3 final quarter in her June 20 debut jumping off her racelines.
The Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC homebred will leave from post seven in race six a $102,200 division.
On the male side of the ledger, both winners from Leg One are back in Leg Two with T H McMurry (McWicked) in race three a $103,100 division and Chain Gang (Bettors Delight) in race seven a $104,000 division.
T H McMurry is co-owned by Jeff Taylor, who chatted with the OSS about the geldings big win in Leg One.
Another colt to watch is Mirage Hanover, a $175,000 purchase at Lexington who was heavily favoured in his division in Leg One. The Bettors Delight colt made a break out of the gate, but rebounded to finish second. Scott McEneny trains for owner Marvin Rounick.
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