Georgian Downs hosted the Ontario Sires Stakes three-year-old pacing colts and trotting fillies in Gold Series action on Sunday evening (August 7) and the Innisfil crowd were witness to four impressive performances, including the seventh straight victory by North America Cup champion Betting Line.
Betting Line and driver Jonathan Drury rolled off the gate from post one in the second $105,000 three-year-old pacing colt division and settled in third as Sintra powered out to a :27.3 opening quarter. Drury opted to put Betting Line on the lead before the :56 half and continued to lead the field through the 1:25.1 three-quarters. Sintra mounted a late challenge, but Betting Line surged forward in the lane to secure his seventh straight victory in 1:51.4. Sintra finished one length back in second and Voracity finished three and one-half lengths back in third.
“The horse was awesome, as he usually is,” said trainer Casie Coleman of her star pupil. “When I got to Georgian I was not happy at all with the track condition. The water truck broke and the track was really loose and dusty. I talked to JD [Drury] and we were going to scratch him because of it, but then they got a rental water truck in and the track got better, but not great.
“I told JD, be really careful and baby him,” Coleman continued. “But JD came through and got over it awesome. He was steering and pacing perfect tonight. I’m really happy with him; now off to Northfield.”
Undefeated since May 14, Betting Line has wins in his Somebeachsomewhere division, his elimination and the final of the North America Cup, and three Gold legs on his resume this season. The son of Bettors Delight will make his next start in the Carl Milstein Memorial at Northfield Park on August 13.
Cambridge, Ont. resident Coleman shares ownership of the winner of $1,277,422 with her partner in the West Wins Stable, Ross Warriner of Burlington, Ont., as well as Christine Calhoun of Chatham, Ont., and Mac Nichol of Burlington, Ont.
The first pacing colt Gold division went to Gerries Sport, who went gate-to-wire, laying down fractions of :27.2, :56 and 1:24.1 before battling down the stretch to a neck victory in 1:52.3. Fan favourite Magnum J closed hard to be second and War N Munn was just one-half length back in third.
“Gerrie, he raced good. He got out of the wings real fast and he felt real comfortable, so we just kept going and he held on,” said driver Sylvain Filion. “He was a little tired at the end, but that was a great effort in that track condition, and the weather was pretty windy too, so it wasn’t perfect conditions. I thought it was a very good effort on his part.”
Filion engineered the victory for trainer Richard Moreau of Puslinch, Ont., and owner/breeder Gerrie Tucker of Montreal, Que. It was the Mach Three son’s first-ever Gold Series win, and his fifth victory of the season.
(OSS)
