October 13, 2023
By Mel Keith for Ontario Racing
MILTON, October 13, 2023 - Five-for-five in Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series Legs leading up to Friday’s (Oct.13) $300,000 Super Final, Willys Home Run’s biggest adversary looked like it might be her outside post assignment in the ten-horse field.
Dontmesswithmama was scratched sick, but also-eligible Sonar Seelster drew in to replace her from Post 5.
The 1–5 favourite stepped onto the track at an easy jog for regular driver James MacDonald, looking relaxed in the post parade. She followed R Liza and Jody Jamieson, who walked out from the paddock.
It was the calm before the storm when the fillies would leave aggressively from the two outside post positions to dispute the early lead.
The battle was brief, as R Liza rolled into a break while crossing over, leaving Willys Home Run to essentially walk the bases for the remainder of the winning mile.
Two other finalists, No One and Evolving, also made untimely breaks early in the race.
MacDonald’s filly was never headed through fractions of 27.1, 57.2, 1:26.4, coasting to the wire in a final time of 1:56.2.
Her closest competition was place-finisher Valuable Miss, who made an adventurous first-over move on the final turn for driver Trevor Henry. She changed paths to try again from the pocket in the stretch, but Willys Home Run kept ahead by open lengths, needing zero urging.
After the race, MacDonald told Woodbine Mohawk Park interviewer John Rallis that he wasn’t going for “accolades” with Willys Home Run, but instead was “just trying to get all the money we can for the owners and myself and [trainer] Kyle [Fellows]…Like I said, she’s been a dream.”
Fellows himself was filled with praise for the ultra-professional filly, a full sister and stablemate to Logan Park, who has three consecutive victories in the Woodbine Mohawk Park Free For All Trot.
“She trained down as a good horse, and you know, you always dream of these moments, but it’s hard to put too much pressure on her. She has a big family behind her, and everyone had high expectations, but she came through and had a big year for us,” he said. “To be honest, we were just happy to make it here [to the Super Finals], and then with the bad posts, you know, we were wishing for the best outcome. But she did everything she could all year; she made us look good. She’s a true champion.”
About those post positions: Willys Home Run semi-famously took her 1:55.1 lifetime mark from Woodbine Mohawk Park Post 10 in Gold Series Leg #4, Sept. 2.
Even so, the winning trainer called the post a “gut punch” in the crucial end to the OSS season: “Because you know, there’s some other good fillies in there. She’s been dominant, but it’s two-year-old trotting fillies–you can't really count on them the way you want to sometimes.”
Owned by Dr Sara Gatchell, Jake Higgs, and breeder Reg Higgs of Strathroy, ON, with Yolanda Fellows of Rockwood, ON, the first 2023 Gold Super Final champion of the night was surrounded by her happy connections in a bustling winners’ circle.
Jennifer Robinson is caretaker for the Archangel–Rite Outa The Park filly.
A smiling Fellows struggled to sum up the perfect OSS season of Willys Home Run: “I can't really describe it–it's an awesome feeling.”
Willys Home Run paid $2.70 to win.
Complete results from Friday’s Super Finals are available
here and replays can be viewed on the Woodbine Mohawk Park YouTube
channel.
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