St Lads Popcorn goes from AE to victory in Gold Final

She drew an outside post and ended up with a dreadful trip in the Gold Elimination last week, but in her return to Flamboro Downs on Friday night, two-year-old pacing filly St Lads Popcorn had luck riding squarely on her shoulders.

First, trainer Mark Horner was forced to scratch Pantecostal out of the $120,000 Gold Final when the grey daughter of No Pan Intended succumbed to an equine virus. The first Also Eligible in the Gold Final, St Lads Popcorn was withdrawn from the $20,000 Gold Consolation and moved into Pantecostal’s spot in the main event, where she would start from the prime Post 2 in the nine filly field.

With outside posts in her July 5 qualifier and in last week’s Gold Elimination, St Lads Popcorn had never been hustled off the gate, but driver Jason Brewer decided to take full advantage of the opportunity he had been given and when the starting gate roared away St Lads Popcorn was in high gear.

The Twin B Champ lass reached the opening quarter in a snappy :27, two lengths ahead of Orally Yours. Brewer took his foot off the accelerator heading for the :56.1 half and was able to keep the tempo at a moderate pace through the 1:25 three-quarters.

Fan favourite Windsong Filou — the filly who won the elimination St Lads Popcorn finished fourth in last week — mounted a challenge down the backstretch, but was unable to keep pace with the leader around the last turn and St Lads Popcorn turned for home two lengths on top. In spite of her sharp early fractions, St Lads Popcorn had enough left in the tank to extend her margin of victory through the stretch and hit the wire in an Ontario Sires Stakes record 1:53.3.

Windsong Filou settled for second, two and three-quarter lengths behind the winner, and Northern Duchess was four and one-quarter lengths behind in third. Ironically, the top three finishers all competed in the same elimination last week, with Pantecostal separating runner-up Northern Duchess and fourth-place finisher St Lads Popcorn.

Cambridge resident Jack Darling owns and trains St Lads Popcorn, who also equalled Luck Of Michelle’s two-year-old pacing filly track record with her 1:53.3 mile. Darling acquired the daughter of Twin B Champ and Hot Butter — both his former trainees — for a bargain basement $5,000 at last fall’s Forest City Yearling Sale and has already recouped $63,200 in the filly’s first two starts.

Darling has liked the filly since her first lessons, and after Friday’s triumph the veteran horseman has even more reason to regret the cautious approach he took to fashioning her freshman stakes schedule.

“If I had it to do over again, I’d maybe stick her in a couple bigger races,” reflected Darling before the start of the filly’s stakes season.

St Lads Popcorn will have her first opportunity to prove that Friday night’s record setting mile was not just good fortune when the two-year-old pacing fillies reconvene their Gold Series rivalry at Rideau Carleton Raceway on July 27.

Topaz Seelster will be hoping to vault from the Gold Consolation into the Gold Final at the Rideau Carleton event after romping to an overwhelming eight length victory in the $20,000 contest on Friday. The Apaches Fame daughter, in rein to Paul MacDonell, allowed Blueridge Betty to carve all the fractions in the mile and then accelerated around the final turn and down the stretch to the 1:55.3 triumph.

Pacesetter Blueridge Betty settled for second behind the fan favourite, with Ocean Of Motion landing the third-place share of the Gold Consolation purse.

Among the fillies whose Ontario Sires Stakes debut was marred by the accident in the second elimination last Friday, Topaz Seelster’s effortless victory served notice that she will be a contender in the top ranks of the provincial program. Ancaster resident Jim Wellwood trains the second foal of $623,324 winner The Patriot for numbered company 1187422 Ontario Inc. of Gloucester, who forked out $60,000 for her at the Forest City Sale.

Ontario Sires Stakes excitement continues at Flamboro Downs this Sunday, July 20 as the two-year-old trotting fillies return to the Dundas oval for their first $120,000 Gold Final and $20,000 Gold Consolation. (OSS)

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