Maddam Luck springs OSS Gold surprise

Thirty-three-to-one Maddam Luck used a dramatic late rally to score a major upset in Monday night's first Ontario Sire Stakes Gold final of the season for 2-year-old filly pacers at Mohawk Racetrack.

With Steve Condren at the controls, the daughter of Northern Luck-Mattercycle sat well back off hot early fractions of :27, :55.2 and 1:23.4. Last week's elimination winner, Find A Penny, supplied all the speed but began to tire as the field entered the stretch.

At that point, Mark MacDonald exited the pocket with Lilbitfasternow who got by the leader but had a wall of fillies closing in behind her. Maddam Luck was widest of all and out in about the eight-wide path by the time they hit the finish, but she had enough to get by them all for the 1:52.4 lifetime best performance.

Lilbitfasternow finished in second while Find A Penny managed to hold on gamely for the show spot. The winner returned a hefty $68.20 for a $2 ticket.

"This mare has had a lot of talent all along, and Steve Condren is one of the best," said co-owner-trainer Bill Hamm. "I was very happy with the fast half, and Steve had her in the right position. Right from day one, she always had a ton of speed and had the smarts. She's a sparky little filly, and the off-the-pace style is the way to go with her. We're happy with the way things worked out."

The victory was the second of the campaign in just four starts for the filly who is co-owned by Craig Turner, Craig Moore and Mhairi Kersel of Ontario. The winner's share of the purse boosted her seasonal bankroll to just shy of $80,000(C). (WEG)

« Back