Sprite Seelster (Green Manalishi S) led gate to wire and set a lifetime best of 1:52.4 while posting a 15-1 upset in the lone $140,000 Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold Series events for 3-year-old trotting fillies on Monday (May 26) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Sprite Seelster (New Image Media Photo)

She was driven to victory by her co-owner Tyler Borth of Ingersoll, ON, who shares her papers with Paul Gangle’s Elite Equine LLC of St. Thomas, ON.

Borth steered Sprite Seelster to the front out of the 9-hole and didn’t look back through fractions of :27.2, :56.2 and 1:24.1 to defeat a fast-closing Roxie Hart (Travis Cullen) by 1½ lengths. Bright Green (Louis-Philippe Roy) was third. O’Brien Award-winning Monalishi (James MacDonald) was sent off as the 4-5 favourite and finished fifth in the field of nine, just ahead of 2-1 second choice Green Glider (Trevor Henry).

“I wasn’t really happy with the 9 hole,” Borth said to Woodbine Mohawk Park’s Randy Waples. “I was thinking before the race, ‘There are going to be a lot of leavers. It’s a long year. Maybe I would be smart just to race from the back.’ But I thought she raced really well last week.

“She has never really been used that hard. She was still pretty strong on the end of [the mile]. And even after the mile, when all the other horses seemed tired, she kept going like she can always go another half lap. She’s just a big, strong horse.”

SPRITE SEELSTER REPLAY

The mile shaved three full seconds off Sprite Seelster’s personal best. The $70,000 payday nearly doubled her lifetime earnings to $149,978.

It was the first lifetime Gold victory for the daughter of Green Manalishi S out of Speak Of The Devil bred by Seelster Farms and sold for $40,000 at the 2023 London Classic Yearling Sale.

Sprite Seelster, who is trained by Katie MacNeil, is now 2-1-1 in four 2025 starts. She is 3-2-2 in 10 career starts.

“She just does everything,” Borth said. “She eats everything, and she comes out of a race well all the time. She holds her weight well. She’s big, she’s strong, and I think she’s going to stay good all year.”

GRASSROOTS RESULTS

Also on the Monday card at Woodbine Mohawk Park were three $25,000 OSS Grassroots Series divisions for sophomore trotting fillies. The winners were:

Ivy Lynn (Green Malalishi S—Marion Mayflower) in a career best 1:54.4 for breeders Stonegate Farms and Glen Gardner of New Jersey, owner Jean Mondoux of Laval, QC, trainer Jean Tourigny and driver J.R. Plante. Ivy Lynn was purchased for $25,000 at the 2023 Standardbred Horse Sales Company yearling sale in Harrisburg, PA.
Incantation (Muscle Mass—More Magic) in 1:54.4 for breeders Robert McIntosh Stables of Windsor, ON and Dave Boyle of Bowmanville, ON, owners Mardon Stables of Loretto, ON and Tyrone Valley Farm of Bowmanville, trainer Jeff Williams and driver Jody Jamieson.
Telles Choice (The Bank—Tosca) in 1:55 for breeder Winbak Farm, owner Determination of Montreal, QC, trainer Luc Blais and driver Louis-Phillipe Roy. Tellers Choice was purchased for $100,000 at the 2023 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale

Up next in Ontario Sires Stakes action:

Thursday, May 29 – Gold Series for 3-year-old colt trotters at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Friday, May 30 – Grassroots Series for 3-year-old colt pacers at The Raceway at Western Fair District.
Monday, June 16 – Grassroots Series for 3-year-old filly pacers at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Friday, June 20 – Gold Series for 3-year-old filly trotters at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Saturday, June 21 – Gold Series for 3-year-old filly pacers at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Saturday, June 21 – Grassroots Series for 3-year-old colt pacers at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

The complete OSS schedule is here: