Colbeck’s look at the Juravinski Memorials

Flamboro Downs will be hosting their marquee harness racing event of the year this Sunday (May 21).

The half-mile track will have the $50,000 Margaret Juravinski Memorial Invitational and the $262,000 Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup Final.

Race 7: MARGARET JURAVINSKI MEMORIAL INVITATIONAL – 4-YEAR-OLD MARES OPEN – $50,000

1. NEED TO BREATHE (4-1)
2. SILVER LABEL (8-5)
3. SILENT CROSSING (6-1)
4. INTOTHEMYSTICMOON (2-1)
5. GOUDAWON (8-1)
6. RAPTORS WON (3-1)
7. MS QUICK SAND (10-1)
8. SPEAKER NANCY (12-1)
9. VELVET STINGER (9-2)

James Macdonald will climb aboard Silver Label (Bettors Delight). She ran well in the Ontario Sired Graduate Series. She finished fourth in the first leg but followed that up with back-to-back wins in leg 2 and 3. Silver Label achieved a new lifetime mark of 1:52.0 in leg 2 of the Ontario Sired Graduate Series. She has visited the winner’swinner’s circle 14 times in 26 lifetime starts. Oddly enough, she has never finished third in her career.

Raptors Won (Big Jim) won the Ontario Sired Graduate Series Final at 1:49.2. Her final quarter of a mile time was 26.3 in the victory. This performance was good enough to become her new lifetime mark as well. She followed that significant achievement with a fourth-place finish in the filly & mare preferred at Woodbine Mohawk Park. She has won twice on a half-mile track, which will be her fourth career time on the smaller track. It has been some time for her since then, but Raptors Won will make the proper adjustments.

Intothemysticmoon (Artspeak) finished third behind Raptors Won and Silver Label in the Ontario Sired Graduate Series Final. Her lifetime mark is 1:51.4, but she has been recorded going faster than that. Unfortunately, another horse happens to be in front of her. This will be Intothemysticmoon’s first start on a half-mile surface, but many other horses are also inexperienced in that category. Nevertheless, she can finish strong if she finds a good position early.

Trey’s Picks: 2-6-4

Race 10: CHARLES JURAVINSKI MEMORIAL CUP – 4-YEAR-OLD OPEN – FINAL – $262,000

1. FOUREVER BOY (6-1)
2. ROLL WITH THE FLOW (10-1)
3. BYTHEMISSAL (8-5)
4. FROZEN HANOVER (3-1)
5. BIRTHDAY (2-1)
6. PLEASELETMEKNOW (12-1)
7. COLD CREEK QUESO (4-1)
8. CAMARA MOMENT (6-1)
9. LAYTON HANOVER (8-1)
   AE1: RON

Bythemissal (Downbytheseaside) has earned $1.2 million in his career and did it in only 20 lifetime starts. He won the Adios Final and the Milstein. Bythemissal won his elimination in 1:51.4 and came into the Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup Final on a four-race win streak. Yannick Gingras will be in the bike post-time.

Have the cake ready because my next choice, Birthday (Sweet Lou), will be near the top when this race ends. He won his elimination in 1:51.1. He is a stable mate of Bythemissal and was driven by Gingras in the elimination. Travis Cullen will be in the bike for the final, and I’mI’m expecting a Ronald Burke-trained exactor. Birthday has won three races in a row coming into Sunday evening’sevening’s final. Which one of Burke’sBurke’s entries is going to keep the streak going?

Cold Creek Queso (Betterthancheddar) has earned the right to be my third choice. He finished second behind Bythemissal in the elimination pace. Before that, he swept the Ontario Sired Graduate Series, but this will be in the second start on a half-mile track. The 2022 three-year-old colt & gelding OSS Gold Super Final champion will have his work cut out for him.

Trey’s Picks: 3-5-7

Flamboro Downs has 12 races on their Sunday evening card. The OSS Grassroots Series for trotting three-year-old colts and geldings also kicks off during the card. I will review this in greater detail on the next episode of Harness News Live, which airs Saturday, May 20, at 11:00 a.m. EDT. Click here to access the YouTube channel.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Trey Colbeck, for Harnesslink