Up Front Annika and John Campbell led wire-to-wire tonight to capture the $616,000 Goldsmith Maid stakes for 2-year-old trotting fillies, the first of the Fall Four stakes at Woodbine Saturday night.
Stepping through sensible fractions of :28.1, :58.1 and 1:28.1, even-money favourite, Up Front Annika, cruised along on the lead with Yursa Hanover and Mario Baillargeon pocket-sitting and Elusive Desire (Jody Jamieson) stalking in third. As they entered the stretch, Campbell urged his filly into another gear and she responded by kicking away by two lengths, crossing the wire unchallenged in 1:57.1. Yursa Hanover's best efforts couldn't get her any closer, and she settled for second, with Musical Mystery (Mike Lachance) third and second favourite, Tuscan Gal (Trevor Ritchie), fourth.
The win made it back-to-back Goldsmith Maid victories for Campbell, who stood in the winner's circle here last year with Snow White. Ed Mullinax of Amherst, Ohio, and Murray Brown of Hanover, Pennsylvania own the Andover Hall filly, who has now improved her record to four wins in nine starts, and quadrupled her bankroll to over $400,000. John Campbell, who drove Up Front Annika for the first time last week, commented, "She races very well on the front. When I got a chance to get to the front and had Tuscan Gal sitting two back of me, rather than on my back, I thought that was a good spot to be in. I saw her race at Lexington and was impressed with her both weeks there, so I knew she had some guts to her and a lot of try. She responded very well when I asked her at the head of the stretch tonight. "At the half, she felt strong, but you never know what's coming at you from behind. You never want to get too far ahead of yourself. But she felt good there and I knew she was going to trot home by the way she felt. "I would absolutely like to drive this filly again," Campbell added. "She's a real good filly. Two-year-old trotting fillies can be a little unpredictable, but she's very professional. Once you get her behind the gate she just does her work." (WEG)
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