Two upsets, one favorite in OSS Gold elims

Lyons Danny fulfilled his promise as the 3-5 favorite Sunday night in his $40,000(C) division of the Ontario Sire Stakes Gold eliminations for 2-year-old pacing colts, but longshots Mach Dreamer and Grinformoney surprised in the other two divisions at Mohawk.

In the first of the three OSS contests, Dan Daley sent his homebred Daleys Interest to the early lead with Tigers Mattjesty following close behind. By the three-eighths pole, Paul MacDonell engineered a takeover with Tigers Mattjesty, but their lead lasted only moments before Sonic Seelster and Randy Waples muscled their way to the top. Favourite McMaverick, with Steve Condren at the lines, briefly took command in the stretch, but it was Mach Dreamer, coming from the outside, who triumphed by a head at the wire for Luc Ouellette, in 1:55.1. McMaverick hung on for second with Tigers Mattjesty, on the inside, taking the show spot.

Mach Dreamer, a son of Mach Three out of the Jenna's Beach Boy mare, Boy Meets Girl, is a homebred owned by Steven Scharff of Halifax, N.S. Murray Brethour trains the colt, who has had two previous starts at Mohawk and Kawartha Downs, and broke his maiden with the win tonight.

Lyons Danny said "catch me if you can" in the second OSS split, and though several tried, none could overtake the Astreos son as he turned in a sharp 1:53.1 winning effort for Jack Moiseyev. Future Million and Simon Allard, who pursued Lyons Danny through the stretch, settled for second, a length and a half back, with Brusiers Brother (Rick Zeron) moving up from the backfield for third.

Shawn Robinson trains Lyons Danny, who is now perfect in three lifetime starts for owner Joseph Lyons Mound of Burford, Ont. The colt shaved three full seconds off his previous best clocking with the effort.

The lead changed hands several times in the third and final OSS elim, with Medoland Big Cam (Jason Brewer) fastest off the gate but soon relinquishing his advantage to Adrenaline (Rick Zeron), who was then almost immediately overtaken by second favourite, Toughest Of All (Paul MacDonell) at the half-mile marker. The 8-5 favorite Wellthereyougo (Randy Waples) was sent on the hunt by the three-quarter pole, with Toughest Of All hanging tough on the front end and Adrenaline looking for room on the inside… but in the final strides, Sylvain Filion made an electrifying move on the far outside with Grin For Money, from far in the backfield, to pull off the 16-1 upset in 1:54.2, with a :26.2 final panel. Wellthereyougo settled for second, with Adrenaline third.

John Kopas trains Grin For Money, by Grinfromeartoear out of the Falcon Seelster mare, Our Inheritance. This was the colt’s second lifetime start, and first win, for the Grin For Money Stable of London, Ontario.

This is the field for next Sunday, July 19th’s $130,000 OSS Gold final:

HORSE DRIVER TRAINER

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