Sauble Amber went off as the 1-9 favourite in her quest to repeat as Prospect Series champion and the three-year-old pacing filly did not disappoint her backers, cruising to victory in 1:58 to win one of eight $15,000 divisional finals on opening night at The Raceway at the Western Fair District.
The daughter of Betterthancheddar won the 2021 Prospect Series Final in just her third start but came to the 2022 final with a body of work worthy of the bettors’ heavy support.
She won three Prospect Series legs this year to go along with pair of conditioned victories.
When the gate rolled in race eight, driver Jason Ryan let her do what she does best. She went to the front and never looked back, beating Lolas Sunshine, her closest challenger in the field of eight, by more than five lengths.
“Once you stir her up, you can’t get her back,” said Ryan. “That’s why I kind of just slowly moved to the front today. I didn’t really care who left. I was just going to keep slowly moving there and hopefully get there.”
Ryan said the Sauble Hill Farms (Tara, Ont.) and Nasussito Racing Inc (Ayr, Ont.) homebred benefitted from an equipment change made by trainer Otis Hall, who added a pull ear hood. Ryan didn’t have to pull the hood, but it did its job otherwise.
“With the ear hood on, she was a little more manageable,” said Ryan. “So, we’re just kind of building on that because once you stir her up, she’s gone. She’s a very fast filly.”
With three months left in her sophomore campaign, Sauble Amber will look to improve on her $40,000-plus earnings this season.
“We’ve raced her off the pace a few times and she’s starting to learn, and she’s getting better,” said Hall. “So, we might try her at [Woodbine Mohawk Park] just in overnight racing. Get her right, where she’s racing off the pace, and fire home.”
Ryan’s victory with Sauble Amber in race eight completed a driving double that began in the first Prospect Series Final of the night, for the two-year-old pacing fillies in race three.
Gimmie A Corona was the even-money second choice in the seven-horse affair, despite drawing the outside post position, speaking to the quality of the Guelph, Ont. resident’s charge.
“I was a little bit disappointed with the seven-hole, but the trip worked out anyway,” said Ryan.
Ryan managed the outside post position nicely, settling off the early pace before moving up just before three-quarters of a mile on cover behind a first-up Shes Truckin Now and tipping out in the lane to drive home for the 1-1/2-length win in 1:58.2.
Meg Crone, of Cambridge, Ont., trains the Control The Moment filly, who now sports a career record of 5-0-1 from eight starts for owner/breeder 83 Racing (Toronto, Ont.).
Other highlights of the evening included He Will, a homebred for 88-year-old Bill Megens, winning the two-year-old trotting colt and gelding final in 2:00.4 with Travis Henry (Embro, Ont.) in the race bike.
The son of Muscle Mass now has four wins in his rookie campaign and boosted his career earnings to $18,150 for the Guelph, Ont. horseman. He paid $2.30 for the win.
“I’ll be 89 next month, and 90 in another year,” said Megens. “I better start making my money because I intend to retire when I’m 100.”
Local driver Tyler Borth from Ingersoll, Ont. picked up a win in his return to The Raceway. My Holy Moley won the penultimate race of the 10-race card, the Prospect Series Final for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings in a new lifetime mark of 2:00.
The son of Royalty For Life is a Connie and David Chisholm homebred, trained by Connie. A May foal, and a big colt at two, he has overcome a clumsy nature to win three times this year from 13 starts as a sophomore.
“His name is My Holy Moley, but we said you didn’t have to live up to that,” said Chisholm. “So we finally started to get some speed under him and he just started trotting great, and it was just like, 'I get it now.' He is going to be a nice horse, he’s just late.”
My Holy Moley paid $2.90 for the win.
Lune Duharas, a Haras De L Estrie Inc (Dunham, Que) homebred, was the longest shot winner of the eight Prospect Series Finals at 10-1.
The three-year-old trotting filly paid $23.60 to win the fifth race in come-from-behind fashion, trotting home in :29.4 to win by a half-length in 2:00.3 for trainer Denis Gueriel (Dunham, Que.) with Loic Gueriel (Guelph, Ont.) in the bike.
“She’s a very nice mare,” said Loic. “She progressed every time and now will be in the Harvest Series at Mohawk.”
Daniel O'Brian of Cambridge, Ont. trains, owns and drove the winner of the two-year-old trotting filly final.
Sant Ambroggio was heavily favoured in race six, going off at 2-5. After sitting off a first quarter of :30.2, O'Brian moved his Wheeling N Dealin filly to the front in the third panel and she trotted home in :29.2 to cruise to a 4-1/2-length victory in 2:03.4.
In race four, Marshall Zhukov won his sixth start in a row but his first win for new owner Michel Lagace from Terrebonne, Que.
Freelton, Ont. resident Brett MacDonald picked up the drive for new trainer Richard Moreau and he waited patiently to establish early position with the two-year-old pacing colt, who regrouped from a miscue approaching the half then progressed to the top before holding off rivals on both sides through the homestretch.
“He’s a nice colt, so he can overcome a lot,” said MacDonald. “It seemed like Mario [Baillargeo driving Olczyk] wanted me to get in the two-hole on the first turn, so I backed up to the three-hole [behind him], and I went first-up and he raced real good.”
The son of Shadow Play paid $2.10 for the win, pacing a mile in 1:58.3 in the process.
The final race of the evening was the three-year-old pacing colt and gelding Prospect Series Final and Wilcat Rocky emerged victorious from the eight-horse field.
The heavy favourite paid $2.20 for the victory and was worthy of the betting public’s support, leading gate-to-wire in a time of 1:56.4.
Thorton, Ont. resident Stephen Byron was in the bike for trainer Dale Heard of Beaton, Ont. Wildcat Stables Inc (Carrying Place, Ont.) and Antonio Tangreda (Kettleby, Ont.) own the Hes Watching gelding.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Western Fair Raceway.
(With files from Ontario Racing)