Better B Bold certainly lived up to his name on Thursday (Oct. 5) at Woodbine Mohawk Park in the fifth and final leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings, worth $157,200, after he swept the pack from seventh to win at the wire.
Bob McClure and the Shawn Steacy trainee drew post five in the field of eight pacing sophomores. The pair got away seventh and stayed there through panels in :26.1 and :54.3. En route to the three-quarters in 1:22.2, McClure pulled his right line and sent Better Be Bold to the outside, but remained in seventh as the field above shuffled around. Better B Bold made up ground in the final turn and put the pedal to the metal in the stretch to grab the victory by three-quarters of a length in 1:51. His last quarter timed :27.2. Verdun (Louis-Philippe Roy) came from sixth to take second and Whatchulookin At (Doug McNair) rallied from last to earn the show spot.
“Sitting back in seventh, I didn’t think I was in a winning spot, I just wanted to sit and be as patient as I could,” McClure said.
“He’s a very fast horse, so when the race is set up for him, he usually comes through,” McClure continued.
With one second in one start as a freshman, Better B Bold moved his career record to 5-4-0 in 13 starts. He has earned $188,156 of his $213,706 career purse earnings during the 2023 season thus far. Mark Steacy, David Reid, Landmark 15 Racing Stable, and Bc Reichheld Stables co-own the three-year-old colt by Betterthancheddar and out of the Artiscape mare B So Lucky.
Off at 7-1 as the third choice, he paid $16.40 to win.
All three-year-old Super Finals will take place on Oct. 14 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Carmen Auciello enjoyed a training hat trick on the Thursday evening card.
Jonathan Drury took Vallee Doree ($9.70) to a 1:59.1 victory by a neck in the $15,000 Pop Up Series for Ontario Sired three-year-old fillies. She is owned by Michael Torcello and recorded her third career tally.
Sylvain Filion steered Saulsbrook Boomer ($9.10) to a 1:54.3 victory by a neck in a $12,000 claiming handicap division for owners Scott Sarginson and Auciello Stables.
Closing out the card and Auciello’s triad of victors, Louis-Philippe Roy and Hurrikane Msrodine ($4.50) won by 3-1/2 lengths in a career best 1:53.4 for owner Michael Torcello.
In addition to the Pop-Up Series division for the sophomore fillies won by Vallee Doree, there were two divisions for sophomore colts and geldings, each worth a $15,000 purse. Tyrone Bow Tie ($15.20) won his division by 10-1/4 lengths in 1:55.4 with Todd Ratchford in the bike of his trainee. M I Radical ($6.80) won the second sophomore boys division by a neck in 1:59.2 with Tyler Borth holding the lines for David Holliday.
(Standardbred Canada)
