When the two-year-old pacing fillies return to Mohawk Racetrack on Monday, July 18, Jamie Millier is not expecting Classy Lane Rose to be the favourite, but the Puslinch resident does expect her to get more respect than she did in last week’s Gold Eliminations
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“I don’t think she’ll pay $175 this week,” Millier comments. “There’s lots of good fillies in there with her, but I think she’ll certainly get a little bit of respect this week, and she deserves it from the drive that she got.
“Because she’s only had a couple of starts it’s still pretty hard to tell just exactly what we’ve got here,” he adds, “But we’re hopeful that she’s going to do a good job and earn her respect.”
Sent off as the longest shot in the first Gold Elimination last Monday, Classy Lane Rose finished a hard charging second to reigning Gold Final champion Class Of O Nine, who halted the teletimer at 1:55.4. Paul MacDonell engineered the runner-up finish for Millier and his partner, trainer Ben Wallace of Milton, and the veteran reinsman returns to the filly’s race bike for Monday’s $130,000 Gold Final.
“Paul MacDonell did an absolute perfect job steering her,” says Millier, who owns and operates Classy Lane Training Stables. “He taught her a lot, took her to the back, certainly didn’t try to put her in a position that was going to beat her up, and just let her do her own thing.”
Classy Lane Rose will start from Post 7 in Monday’s final, and while Millier says the post is not ideal, he is confident that Guelph resident MacDonell will carve out a trip for the homebred daughter of Jeremes Jet and Titanic Rose, who sprinted home in :27.4 in the elimination round.
In addition to her runner-up showing in last Monday’s Gold Elimination, Classy Lane Rose also has a second-place finish on her resume from the Grassroots season opener at Hiawatha Horse Park on June 30.
“We put her in the Grassroots just to get her a start,” explains Millier. “Ben trained her after that, and she trained very well, so he thought, ‘Well let’s give it (Gold Series) a shot, see what we’ve got.’”
Millier always liked the look of Classy Lane Rose and says Wallace turned in positive reports about the youngster all winter. Since debuting in a June 24 qualifier at Flamboro Downs where she toured that half-mile oval in 2:01.4, the filly has improved with each start and her connections would love to see her convert any remaining non-believers with a strong effort on Monday.
“Ben liked her all along,” recalls Millier. “You know he certainly didn’t come to me and say that she was going to be a superstar or anything like that, but he said that she certainly did everything that he asked her all the way along and he was quite hopeful.”
Classy Lane Rose will hope for another steady effort in Monday’s seventh race, which sees elimination winners Class Of O Nine, Your Beautiful and YS Gold Star start from Posts 3, 6 and 8 respectively. Post time for Mohawk Racetrack’s first race is 7:10 p.m.
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To view entries for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Entries – Mohawk Racetrack.