June 28, 2024
By Ontario Sires Stakes Communications
MILTON, June 27, 2024 – A pair of $95,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold series races for three-year-old trotting colts saw one longshot winner in Northern Looker (Muscle Mass) and a bounce-back victory for Myretirementdream (Il Sogno Dream) at Woodbine Mohawk Park Thursday.
Making his OSS Gold debut, Northern Looker overcame 8-1 morning odds to score his first OSS win in a time of 1:54 in Race 6 of the 10-race card.
The Camilla Christoforou trainee didn’t race as a two-year-old but has shown promise now racing as a sophomore, having won three of his five starts this year, including Thursday’s win.
Bred by Northfields Farm (Meaford, Ont.), and owned by Charalambos Christoforou (Campbellville, Ont.) and Irvann Holdings Inc. (Toronto, Ont.), Northern Looker jumped out of his Post 5 starting position in fourth place heading into the first turn. Going :27.4 through the first quarter, Northern Looker then moved up to third through his :57.1 half mile and reached second by the three-quarter mark in a time of 1:26. The final quarter saw Northern Looker separate from the pack down the final stretch to win by 1-1/4 lengths.
“He’s the type of horse where once he gets to the stretch he trots and he tries to give all he can,” said Northern Looker driver Trevor Henry. “He gave all he could and he was a winner.”
Henry filled in for Northern Looker’s regular driver, Chris Christoforou, who was unfortunately unable to go because of injury.
The race got off to a strange start for the eight-horse field with what was originally announced as a recall by the track announcer ended up being not a recall at all.
“I don’t know what went on, but it was the same as normal,” Henry said.
Earlier in the evening, the other OSS Gold event went in Race 4 with Myretirementdream heading to the winner’s circle after a 1:54.1 mile.
The win comes after a rough go of things during the Goodtimes final for the Eli Wagner (Ingersoll, Ont.) trained, bred and owned colt a couple weeks ago.
Myretirementdream came out of the gate from Post 5 and made his way comfortably to second position, staying there through the first half of the race in times of :27.2 and :56.3, respectively. Through the second half, he made his move taking first position, clocking in at 1:26 through three quarters before ultimately claiming victory.
“I think it’s just a matter of maturing a little bit,” said Myretirementdream driver Jody Jamieson. “He still wasn’t perfect behind the gate, and I lost him in the Goodtimes and I lost him last year a couple times behind the gate, too, which is maybe as much my fault as his just being too antsy but just, overall, he’s come back a little bit stronger and he’s adjust his game and, hopefully, he’ll get better towards the end of the year, too.”
In other stakes action Thursday, a pair of Ontario breds captured the Tompkins-Geers stakes for two-year-old pacing and trotting fillies in Races 2 and 3.
Race 2 saw pacers compete for $46,845 with McWicked daughter Wicked N Single coming out on top in a time of 1:54.3, while Race 3’s $53,123 purse for trotters had Incantation (Muscle Mass) take her division in 1:57.3.
Complete results from Monday’s program are available here and replays can be viewed on the Woodbine Mohawk Park website.
The next OSS Gold series race will see the start of the two-year-old Gold season with a two-year-old pacing colt race at Woodbine Mohawk Park on July 5.
FEATURED IMAGE: Northern Looker captured the second $95,000 OSS Gold Series race for three-year-old trotting colts on June 27 at Woodbine Mohawk Park (Clive Cohen/New Image Media)
IN-LINE IMAGE: Myretirementdream won the first $95,000 OSS Gold Series race for three-year-old trotting colts on June 27 at Woodbine Mohawk Park (Clive Cohen/New Image Media)
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