Wine Rack Hanover ($4.40) and Warrawee Vicky ($2.80) turned in strong performances to capture their respective Ontario Sires Stakes Gold events for two-year-old trotting fillies on Wednesday (Oct. 2) at Flamboro Downs.
In the $105,600 first Gold division (race two), Wine Rack Hanover and Sylvain Filion protected pole position to force Princesspartypants (Roger Mayotte) into the pocket on the first turn, and from there they controlled all the terms. The daughter of Kadabra and Winbak Maya rolled through splits of :30, 1:00.2 and 1:31.1 before scurrying away to her second Gold win by 1-3/4 lengths in 2:00.1. Princesspartypants was an isolated second, 6-1/2 lengths clear of third-place finisher Alpina (Doug McNair).
Richard "Nifty" Norman trains three-time winner Wine Rack Hanover for the Pinske Stables and Dr. Bridgette Jablonsky.
“When you’ve got the rail on a half-mile, you’ve got to try and hold your position and hope for the best, but I knew at from the start when she left the gate that she felt solid and I was pretty confident,” said Filion. “She did it pretty easy, well in hand. She’s still learning, but I mean she’s come a long way from how she started off to how she is now.”
Warrawee Vicky snapped a four-race losing skid in the $105,600 second Gold division (race eight), sprinting off to her third Gold victory by a resounding 6-1/4 lengths. The Royalty For Life-The Tall Poppy filly settled quickly at the pegs and inherited third through a :30 first quarter after multiple fillies broke stride. After comfortably stalking a 1:00.2 half, Doug McNair angled Warrawee Vicky first-over, and the pair willingly pushed clear of pacesetter Trina (Per Henriksen) — who later broke — past three-quarters in 1:30.4 before sprinting off in the stretch to a commanding 1:59.3 score. She Rocks Kemp (Paul MacDonell) gave futile chase to maintain her inherited second spot, while Ride To Justice (Michael Vanderkemp) recovered from an early mistake to save third.
“She raced good last week and real good again tonight,” said McNair, who previously had driven Warrawee Vicky to a fifth-place finish at Woodbine Mohawk Park. “She’s flawlessly gaited and absolutely perfect to drive. It gives you lots of options.”
Scott McEneny trains five-time winner Warrawee Vicky for Brad Grant.
To view Wednesday's harness racing results, click the following link: Wednesday Results - Flamboro Downs.
(with quotes from the Ontario Sires Stakes)