OSS Super Finals contested at Woodbine

Trainer Tracy Brainard’s flotilla of sophomore pacing fillies have dominated their division on the WEG circuit all season, and tonight’s $300,000 Ontario Sire Stakes Super Final was no exception.

 

The 6-5 favorite Shacked Up (Luc Ouellette) took this first of the eight OSS Super Finals by one and three-quarters lengths in 1:51.3, with stablemates Not Enough (Mark MacDonald), Cheap Motel (Jody Jamieson), Kabbalah Karen B (Jim Morrill Jr.), and Coming Late (Dave Miller) coming in second, third, fourth, and fifth to send every single cheque back to the Brainard barn.

 

Shacked Up, a bay daughter of Western Terror, is owned (like all of the Brainard charges) by the Bulletproof Enterprises of Boca Raton, Florida. She has led the OSS Gold standings all season, and expands her bankroll to over $850,000 with the win.

 

Brainard appeared to have scored again when Ideal Race (Dave Miller) emerged the victor among the three-year-old colt counterparts on OSS Super Finals night at Woodbine. But with the inquiry sign lit, Ideal Race was bumped all the way back to seventh after judges reviewed the
tape and determined that Miller had interfered in the backstretch with Shady Cam and Jason Brewer.

 

The 6-5 favorite, Shipps Xpectancy and Jack Moiseyev, who had overpowered pacesetter Primary Purpose (Mark MacDonald) in late stretch for second, were awarded the victory, with Primary Purpose bumped up to second from third, and fourth-placed Lyons Horace (Randy Waples) being handed the show check.

 

Shipps Xpectancy, a son of Mach Three, is trained by John Kopas for the Harold Shipp Stable of Missisauga, Ontario. The time of 1:50.2 was four-fifths of a second faster than the gelding’s previous lifetime speed badge.

 

The lightly-regarded Code Word, sent off at 25-1, came roaring from the backfield to take the
$300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final for rookie colt pacers tonight at Woodbine.

Rick Zeron engineered the victory for trainer Tony O’Sullivan and owners John Fielding (who celebrated another OSS Super Final victory earlier this evening with Poof Shes Gone) and John Carver. BP Chimo (Phil Hudon) held on for second while favourite Keystone Raptor (Jack
Moiseyev) settled for third.

 

Stonebridge Tonic (Doug McNair), who crossed the finish line fourth, was bumped back to ninth for multiple instances of interference in the stretch, giving the fourth-place cheque to Future Million (Simon Allard).

Code Word, a son of Western Terror, stopped the timers in 1:51.3, almost four seconds better than his previous lifetime mark, set in his only other career victory, back in July.

In the division for distaff rookie pacers, FBs Terror made it a family affair as she front-stepped her way to victory for Scott Zeron, holding off multiple challenges from the likes of Western Silk (Mark MacDonald) and Higher And Higher (Jim Morrill Jr.) to score in 1:53.1, almost two full seconds faster than her previous lifetime mark.

A photo handed the place cheque to 25-1 shot, St Lads Trixie (Simon Allard) over Tis To Dream (Doug McNair), with Higher And Higher succumbing to traffic and settling for fourth.

FBs Terror, a daughter of Western Terror, was a modest $12,000 yearling purchase for Michael Guerriero and FB Racing of Moffat, Ontario. Mario Macri trains the filly, who has now racked up four wins in 14 tries.

 

The win was easily the biggest to date, in young driver Scott Zeron’s career.

Poof Shes Gone once again lived up to her name in the $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final for rookie trotting fillies tonight at Woodbine.

 

Sent off at 1-5, Poof Shes Gone overcame post position nine to win going away for driver Dave Miller and conditioner Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman, setting a new OSS stakes record and track record of 1:55.3 and becoming harness racing’s newest millionaire in the process.

 

A determined Wilsonator (Sylvain Filion) was second, and Windcross (Steve Byron) moved up from the backfield to take third over Emmylou Who (Lyle MacArthur).

Poof Shes Gone, by Kadabra out of the Garland Lobell mare, Travelin Superlite, was a $170,000 yearling purchase, but co-owner John Fielding says the rewards have been more than worth it. “She is something else. David never popped the earplugs. She’s not even blowing. I
said she should go and race the three-year-olds later tonight! She’s unbelievable.”

Randy Waples engineered a victory in the $300,000 OSS Super Final for freshman colt trotters with Text Me, who prevailed by a length over Grumpy Jake (Jack Moiseyev) and favorite Zorgwijk Kingpin (Trevor Ritchie) in a new lifetime speed mark of 1:56.2.

 

Trainer Bob McIntosh, the Super Finals’ winningest trainer with a total of seven to his credit, sent out Text Me, who like Poof Shes Gone is sired by Kadabra. The colt led the OSS Gold standings in points earned going into this Super Final and was second in terms of OSS money earned. McIntosh co-owns the homebred along with C S X Stables and Dave Boyle.

“Randy drove a great race,” said McIntosh. “It’s extra-special when it’s a homebred. I can tell you when I brought him in last fall he was a pretty insignificant-looking little guy. I thought it was going to be a waste of my time to even break and train him. He would have been a very cheap colt through the sale ring. It just shows how wrong you can be!”

 

It took a photo to determine that the winner of tonight’s $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes
Super Final for sophomore trotting colts, at Woodbine racetrack, was 9-1 shot, I Wont Dance (Trevor Ritchie).

 

The colts were three-wide across the racetrack as the timer was stopped in 1:54.3, with a determined I Wont Dance emerging a nose in front of Striking Lindsey (Doug McNair) and Equity (Jack Moiseyev). Per Henriksen trains the gelded son of Angus Hall, who was unraced at two
but has earned nearly $250,000 in his three-year-old season, for the Biasuzzi Stable of Ft. Pierce, Florida.

 

Last year’s Super Final winner in the two-year-old trotting fillies division, Elusive Desire, made it a double tonight for driver Paul MacDonell and trainer Mike Keeling, as she neatly captured the marquee event of Super Finals night, the three-year-old filly trot, by one and a half lengths in 1:54.1, turning back a dogged Novelty AS (Jody Jamieson).

Sent off as the prohibitive favourite, Elusive Desire, a daughter of Angus Hall, has now pocketed over one and a quarter million dollars for P C Wellwood Enterprises, Bob Fasken and Charlie Armstrong.

 

“I think that was a really gritty trip,” remarked Keeling. “(It was a) :26 opener and she had to make a move to the front, and they stuck to her. I had kind of hoped to get two or three lengths off the last turn but Novelty AS stuck right to us like glue. It’s always tricky when a big horse follows a small horse, but down the lane I saw Paul wasn’t too concerned, so I figured he had enough in the tank to get there.” (Woodbine)