OSS Two-Year-Old Super Finals Preview
At 12h26, on October 12, 2023 • By MEL KEITH FOR ONTARIO SIRES STAKES
With the Ontario Sires Stakes’ 2023 Grassroots champions decided on Sept. 30, the stage is now set for the Gold Series Super Finals. The province’s top two-year-old trotters and pacers will be in the spotlight Friday, Oct. 13 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, each vying for divisional honours and the winner’s share of their Super Final’s $300,000 purse.
Kicking off the Super Final action in Race 3 is the two-year-old trotting filly event, with a field of 10 led by Willys Home Run (Archangel–Rite Outa the Park), who starts from Post 10 for regular driver James MacDonald and trainer Kyle Fellows. Undefeated in every Gold Leg, she was the fastest two-year-old trotter on a five-eighths mile track in Canada this year (1:56.1f), going away Aug. 8 at Georgian Downs in Leg 3. P L Rainbow Dash (Resolve–P L Indyanaca), who chased Willys Home Run for place in Leg 5, Sept. 29 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, returns from the rail Friday for driver Bob McClure and trainer Katie Huskinson.
R Liza (Muscle Mass–Wishimaywishimight) finished fourth in the Gold Series point standings and is the 5–1 morning-line second choice. The winner of two Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Grassroots Legs prior to a victory in the Sept. 29 Gold Leg at Woodbine Mohawk Park, she will start from Post 9 for trainer Susanne Kerwood and driver Jody Jamieson.
Bruce Richardson owns, trains and drives No One (Lookslikeachpndale–Stormont Katie), who finished third in the division point standings after capturing Gold Leg 3 at Georgian Downs on Aug. 8 over hard-charging Evolving (Resolve–Muscle Mara), who finished eighth in the standings. No One has Post 4 Friday night, while Fellows trainee Evolving starts from Post 7 with visiting catch driver Tim Tetrick in the sulky for the first time.
Standout Pass Line looks to extend her four-race win streak in Race 4, the two-year-old pacing filly showdown. The daughter of All Bets Off and Breakheart Pass rewrote the Ontario Sires Stakes history books with her Sept. 2 Gold Series victory at Woodbine Mohawk Park, circling the seven-eighths mile oval in 1:49.3 to peel a full second off the mark set by 2019 Super Final winner Alicorn. Yannick Gingras, aboard for the Sept. 2 record-setting mile, takes the lines on the Dave Menary trainee again Friday. She starts from Post 7 as the 7–5 morning-line favourite.
Stablemate Its A Love Thing (Bettors Delight–Love for Sail) has Post 2 and driver James MacDonald for her first start since winning the $540,000 Shes A Great Lady final on Sept. 23. Odds On Platinum (Bettors Delight–American Jewel) closed hard for place in that race. Second in the Gold Series point standings, Odds On Platinum was the only rival to beat Pass Line in OSS competition this summer. The Ian Moore trainee upset at odds of 24–1 for driver Sylvain Filion in Gold Leg 2, July 21 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and starts from Post 5 Friday.
In Race 6, the two-year-old male trotters will square off for their OSS Gold title, with three starters riding two Gold Series wins into the bout. Homebred divisional leader Myretirementdream (Il Sogno Dream–Myretirementticket) has Post 10 for owner/trainer Eli Wagler, with Jody Jamieson driving. His 8–1 morning line reflects the same final odds as his Sept. 29 Woodbine Mohawk Park victory in Gold Leg 5, when he capitalized on a late miscue by 1–5 favourite Willowtime (Lookslikeachpndale–SOS Respect), another two-time Gold winner. Mark Etsell trainee Willowtime established the 1:58f seasonal standard for two-year-old trotting colts on a Canadian five-eighths mile track in Gold Leg 3, Aug. 8 at Georgian Downs. He repeated for Bob McClure in Leg 4, Sept. 5 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and starts from Post 3 as the 5–2 morning-line favourite.
The field’s other finalist with two Gold Series victories is divisional number four Griff (Muscle Mass–Renegade Magic), who starts from Post 9. He hunted down Myretirementdream in Gold Leg 4 for trainer Murray Brethour and McClure, then rebounded from a fifth-place Mohawk Million finish with a 1:54.1s Ontario Sires Stakes record in the fifth leg on Sept. 29, shaving one-fifth of a second off Willowtime’s Sept. 5 clocking. The Super Final is his debut for Louis-Philippe Roy.
Divisional number one Funtime Bayama (Hes Watching–Tymal Sugrbabydoll) and driver Sylvain Filion have the rail in Race 7, the two-year-old male pacer Super Final. Richard Moreau trains the homebred gelding, Canada’s fastest two-year-old pacer of 2023 on a half-mile track, a track record 1:52.4h in Gold Leg 5 on Oct. 1 at Flamboro Downs, and fastest freshman gelding, 1:50.1s in Gold Leg 4, Sept. 2 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Mirage Hanover (Bettors Delight–Mayhem Seelster) is the other three-time OSS Gold winner in the field. The $175,000 yearling broke his maiden convincingly in Leg 2, July 21 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, for Bob McClure and trainer Scott McEneny, who also trained sire Bettors Delight. The colt took a 1:50.4s mark, followed by victories in Leg 3 (Aug. 19) and 4 (Sept. 2) at Woodbine Mohawk Park. He starts from Post 5, in his first race since a tough trip in his Metro Pace elimination.
Woodbine Mohawk Park’s Friday, Oct. 13 program gets underway at 7:10 pm, with the Ontario Sires Stakes’ two-year-old stars taking centre stage in Races 3, 4, 6 and 7.
