The Deuce is ready for Ontario Sire Stakes debut

Harness racing fans across Ontario have been waiting impatiently for Saturday’s 3-year-old pacing colt Gold Series season opener at Mohawk Racetrack, eager to see Metro Pace winner Somebeachsomewhere make his debut in the provincial program and Super Final champion Deuce Seelster begin defense of his freshman crown.

Unfortunately, Somebeachsomewhere’s connections were forced to withdraw the colt from the $40,000 contest when he sustained a bruise to his right front foot, but trainer Darren McCall says that Deuce Seelster is in fine fettle and ready to get his sophomore season under way.

“He developed quite a bit,” says McCall. “He’s a little bigger, but he developed through his shoulders and through his hind end. I’m very impressed with him.”

Deuce Seelster returned to the Cambridge resident’s barn just over two weeks ago. The colt wintered in Florida with Jeff Webster and then shipped into Ross Croghan’s barn at the Meadowlands in mid-April to lay down a pair of solid qualifying efforts. On April 24 John Campbell piloted Deuce Seelster around the New Jersey oval to a fifth-place finish in a 1:52.3 mile, sprinting home in 26 seconds. One week later Campbell and the Western Maverick son posted an effortless 1:53.1 victory.

Jack Moiseyev will handle the lines in Deuce Seelster’s Ontario Sire Stakes starts this season, and the Moffat resident will send the young pacer out for his first sophomore test from post one in the second of two Gold eliminations on Saturday. Although Moiseyev will not have an opportunity to sit behind Deuce Seelster before the elimination, McCall says the veteran reinsman will find the colt handles like a luxury car.

“He’s perfect to drive. A child could drive him, he’s that good,” says McCall, who trains the colt for owner Katherine Bardis of Sacramento, Cal. “But when you ask him to go, he goes fast.”

McCall says the colt is equally well mannered around the barn, calling the winner of nine races and $636,579(C) the perfect horse.

“He’s really, really good. He’s got a great attitude. He just eats and sleeps; he’s the perfect horse,” says the horseman. “He doesn’t misbehave. He puffs up once in a while, struts out like he’s the man, but that’s it.”

The dominant force in the Ontario Sire Stakes last season will be joined in Saturday’s sixth race by the colts that finished second and fourth in the standings. Keystone Horatio will make his sophomore debut from post five, while Believeinbruiser makes his fourth start of the season from post six.

Number-five colt Lennon Blue Chip—the only horse to defeat Deuce Seelster in OSS action last season—will start from post three in the first elimination. The No Pan Intended son has a trio of qualifiers and two starts at the Meadowlands under his belt. Cambridge resident Mark MacDonald will steer the colt on Saturday for trainer Casie Coleman, also of Cambridge, and owner Rodney Mitchell Inc. of Dover, Del.

The top five colts from each elimination will earn a return trip to Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday, May 24, for the first $120,000 Gold final on their schedule. (WEG)

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