The connections of Whitesand Merlot decided to race their 11-year-old Northern Luck mare for the last time on Sunday, October 19 at Flamboro Downs, and the distaffer went out with a bang.
Whitesand Merlot has strong ties to Flamboro Downs, as the Dundas, Ont. raceway is where she was stabled, broken, and raced for the first time.
The distaffer is owned by James Kay. Four years ago, the Kay family moved from Hamilton to Roslin, located northeast of Belleville. The family bought their own farm and have raced mainly at Kawartha Downs and Rideau Carleton Raceway ever since.
Kay, who also trains the career winner of 21 races, decided that Whitesand Merlot would call it quits after the Sunday’s dash at Flamboro. She was reunited with driver JR Plante for her career bow, and after some anxious moments early on, the pair showed how they have come to click over the years.
“The race started out looking like we timed this retirement a few weeks too late,” Kay told Trot Insider. “She was dead last through the opening quarter and half way points, but true to their history, JR and her connected around the five-eighths marker and exploded four-wide around the entire field, as if to accentuate her career and prove that she could win it any possible way.”
Sent off at the 4-1 third choice at post time, Whitesand Merlot overcame Post 7 and a slow middle half to draw off to a four and three-quarter-length win in 2:00. She returned $11.00 on a successful win wager.
Whitesand Merlot retires as a 21-time winner – not too shabby for a distaffer that was originally purchased for a mere $1,500 as a yearling. She retires with winnings in excess of $163,000 and a mark of 1:56.3, taken at the age of eight.
“She's in great shape, she's 100 per cent sound, and has had a great year by all accounts,” said Kay. “But the time has come – she's 11 now. She still loves to race, but we want to build our future farm around her.”