Stockade Seelster victorious in OSS Gold division at Rideau Carleton

OTTAWA, AUGUST 13, 2023 – The glamour boys touched down in Ottawa tonight for a $157,200 Ontario Sire Stakes Gold harness racing division at Rideau Carleton Raceway, and Stockade Seelster (State Treasurer) was victorious in an impressive effort from the outside post position.

The reigning king of the OSS suffered his first defeat in the provincial program on July 22 at Woodbine Mohawk Park, but would not to be denied tonight.

Jody Jamieson and Stockade Seelster left hard from post eight, beating out fellow quick leavers Moment Is Here and Macs Delight, to make the front just as the field was exiting the far turn.

“I expected to take about a three-eighths park before I could get there,” said Jamieson. “But three steps out of the wings it looked like I was going to be able to cross over pretty easy, and from there he kind of did his own thing. He just wasn’t getting beat tonight.”

Stockade Seelster’s margin grew as large as two lengths as he led the field through fractions of 26.3, 55.0, and 1:22.3, while Moment Is Here was given a pocket trip by James MacDonald.

Moment Is Here came with a good strong late kick, pacing the final quarter in 27.3, but fell short of overtaking his rival, and Stockade Seelster won by a head.

“Around the last turn I thought I had it in the bag,” said Jamieson. “When James popped in there, I heard him yell, but I just had a really good feeling about my horse tonight. It didn’t matter who was on my back to be honest. I was really proud of him tonight, he was exceptional.”

The final time was 1:50.3, a 2023 seasonal record for Canadian five-eighths mile racetracks, and he paid $10.80 for the win.

Trained by Dr. Ian Moore Stockade Seelster now has seven wins from eight career OSS starts, and has banked over $475,000 in the program. His total earnings are over $1.1 million for owners Sally and Paul MacDonald.

Moment Is Here’s solid season continued with his second place effort. The Robert McIntosh trainee improved his 2023 record to 3-5-2 in his twelfth start and surpassed $380,000 in earnings for McIntosh’s co-owners Al McIntosh Holdings Inc, Frank Baldachino, and Mardon Stables.

Whatchulookin At (Hes Watching) was the final podium finisher for trainer Gregg McNair with Louis Philippe-Roy driving.

It was the gelding’s second on the board finish this season in the OSS. McNair co-owns Hes Watching with Jim Newton, Bloomingwood Farms Ltd, and Paul Kidd.

There were also three $21,800 OSS Grassroots divisions on the card for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings.

In race four James MacDonald piloted Santana Hanover (Big Jim) to victory for trainer Richard Moreau. Domenic Chiaravalle owns the gelding who now has two wins from 11 starts this season.

The betting public made Santana Hanover a 3-5 favourite and he stopped the clock in 1:52.

Leave It To Leo won his OSS debut in race eight with MacDonald driving. He used his rail position to sit third through the early going before moving to the front and grabbing the lead at the half and holding on the rest of the way to win in 1:52.3.

The final OSS division was in race 10, and Winmebak (Shadow Play) won for the first time in the OSS in his fourth career attempt. MacDonald completed the Grassroots sweep, driving the to an off the pace score for his third win of the 2023 campaign. Nick Gallucci trains the gelding.

Click here to view the full results from August 13, 2023 at Rideau Carleton Raceway.

Replays of all the races are available here.

by Austin Stanton, for Ontario Racing