Although there is a dusting of snow in the city, Woodbine Racetrack will be creating its own winter wonderland on Monday, Jan. 2 as the first legs of the Blizzard and Snowshoe Pacing Series get underway
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Thirty-five pacing colts and geldings will compete in four $20,000 divisions of the Snowshoe Series and 33 pacing fillies and mares will contest three $20,000 divisions of the Blizzard Series. The pacing series’ are for three and four-year-olds in 2012, who are non-winners of two races or $20,000 lifetime as of midnight, October 31, 2011.
Four reinsmen have provided their insight on the pacers they will drive on Monday.
Big League headlines the second division of the Snowshoe Series and has proven he can make it in the ‘majors.’
The Maritime import has a prefect eight-for-eight record, including two wins at the Rexdale oval, with $33,440 in the bank.
“His record is no joke,” said Jody Jamieson, who will get the call to drive the colt for a second time. “You look at Summerside, Exhibition Park and Charlottetown Driving Park, the places that he has been racing on the East Coast, he’s won down there and a lot of people dismiss that. It’s not by fluke he hasn’t been beat.”
In his last December 26 start, the son of Four Starzzz Shark-Bolero Tam Tam took a new lifetime mark of 1:53.1.
“He impressed me immensely the other night,” said Jamieson. “He has raced on the front his whole career pretty much and I got to race him on a helmet. He was a little crooked in the last turn and maybe a little bit through the stretch, but I think [trainer Tony O’Sullivan] will correct that. He just has to be a little straighter and I think he is one of the horses to beat in the Snowshoe.”
Big League will make his second start for O’Sullivan and new owners Let It Ride Stables Inc., Robert Cooper Stables LLC, Dana Parham and Jerry Silva. The bay will leave from post position four in race nine.
Windsong Harley made his Woodbine debut last week a winning one for his conditioner, Bud Sinclair. The son of P Forty Seven-Lobro Amazing, who was unraced as a two-year-old, has fashioned a record of 5-1-3 in 14 outings with $27,913 in purse earnings.
Since returning on October 24 from a seven month layoff, the gelding has found the winner’s circle four times for owners Bud and Lindsey Sinclair and Russell Ellery.
In his most recent start on December 26, reigning Driver of the Year Randy Waples was in the bike and he believes the gelding has some learning to do.
“He’s got a lot of speed, but his maturity is not really there just yet,” he admitted. “He is very green. He is just not ‘racehorse smart,’ but he’s got speed and he likes to race, so off a trip I think he has a good shot. If he can get to the front and he gets things his own way, he is going to be tough.”
The gelding has drawn post position six in the 11th race for the fourth and final division.
D Gs Tinkerbell, who will be a newly minted four-year-old mare as of January 1, will make her first start of 2012 in Monday’s sixth race, which is the second division of the Blizzard Series.
The daughter of Cambest-Bolero Ultima has a sophomore record of 6-5-2 in 14 starts and $52,161 in earnings for trainer Guylaine Fortin.
Driver Luc Ouellette will be handed the reins for the second time, but hopes D Gs Tinkerbell will be able to avoid traffic trouble this time out.
“I was pleasantly surprised the way she raced the other day," said Ouellette of her second-place finish in the Niagara Stakes final on December 26. “She was forced back into a two-hole and a horse stopped in her face. I was able to squeeze out and she was still coming in the stretch. She showed a lot of grit and there is no doubt she is a nice filly.”
The veteran driver knows they will need a little bit of luck since they will be starting from the second tier from post position 11, but Ouellette believes that D Gs Tinkerbell's strength might just help her.
“She is very determined,” he said. “Last week she showed that. Most horses might have been kinked by what happened at the quarter pole. This horse showed tremendous determination."
Fortin owns a piece of the brown miss with Daniel Surprenant.
The father and son duo of driver Scott Young and trainer Bob Young will send Ms Raq N Flash postward in the third division. The brown lass has fashioned a record of 2-3-0 in nine outings and has earned $26,570 to date for owner and breeder Sue Stockwell.
The daughter of Memphis Flash-Ms Raque Top is fresh off a pair of victories. In her most recent start on December 22, she scored in a career-best clocking of 1:55 at odds of 8-1.
“I feel confident going into the Blizzard with this filly,” said Scott Young. “It’s nice that all the horses in the series are all really in the same league. My filly raced great her last start and with the same kind of performance I think she can be very competitive in this series.”
The eighth race starter will have her work cut out for her from the 10-hole, but one thing is certain, Ms Raq N Flash is quite versatile.
“Post 10 will hurt, but it’s a starting position someone has to have,” said the 20-year-old reinsman. “Hopefully this week goes well and we can have a better draw in the second leg. She can leave the gate well and also come from off-the-pace, so that helps with however the race pans out.”
Young says he will be keeping his eye on a few others in the race when the gate folds.
“The Tony O’Sullivan trainee The Summer Wind is a nice filly and also Dean Nixon’s Coco Beach,” he added. “She’s been very good her last couple of starts.”
The $30,000 second leg is scheduled for Thursday, January 12 with the $50,000 Snowshoe Series final slated for Saturday, January 21 and the Blizzard Series final set for Monday, January 23.
To view Monday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Monday Entries - Woodbine Racetrack.
(With files from WEG)