Prospect Series gets underway at Flamboro

The opening Prospect Series legs for male and female three-year old harness racing pacers and trotters, get underway Saturday May 21 at Flamboro Downs.

Three-year-old pacing colts and geldings and three-year-old pacing fillies have two divisions apiece while the trotting side features one division for each gender.

Two 2021 Prospect Series Finals winners headline the fields, Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt Finals winner Sir Ballykeel, and Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly Finals winner Sauble Amber. Sir Ballykeel (Il Sogno Dream) is a homebred for Ballykeel Racing. He won a Prospect Series leg, posted a record of 0-1-1 in four Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots starts, and won the Prospect Series final, to earn over $29,000 in his two-year-old campaign.

The Josh McKibbin trainee has made four starts in 2022 at Woodbine Mohawk Park and hit the board once.

“I think he’s coming good right now. I’ve been happy with the way he’s been racing at Mohawk,” said McKibbin. “He’s had some easy fractions in the first half, and he’s been closing great. He has a good turn of foot.”

McKibbin is a big fan of the racing opportunities the Prospect Series offers. He had Sir Ballykeel’s brother Los Ballykeelamigo, move from OSS Grassroots to the Prospect Series in 2020, where he won four legs, before breaking stride in the final.

“I really like the Prospect Series. Sir Ballykeel won at two last year and that was big for him,” said McKibbin. “Then for his older brother, it really helped his racing career. He was able to gain some confidence, and it’s nice to have a third option.”

The other returning Prospect Series Finals winner is Sauble Amber (Betterthancheddar). The pacing filly qualified in a time of 1:54.4 at Woodbine earlier this spring and earned over $15,000 as a two-year-old. She in the first division of pacing filles on Saturday.

In her division, she will face competition from Einhorn Is Finkle (Sunshine Beach), a grassroots horse as a two-year-old, the bay filly posted a 2-0-4 record in her first-year campaign to earn just under $14,000.

The second division of pacing fillies is race four on the card, and Jmr Sporty Mel (Sportswriter) is the favourite.

The brown filly is coming off back-to-back wins at Flamboro in marks of 1:57 and 1:58. Larjon Ladybug (Control the Moment) also draws in. She won at the Raceway at the Western Fair District on May 10, in the second fastest time of her career of 1:58.4.

Race three is the lone trotting fillies division, with Self Important (Resolve) coming off a win at Flamboro in her last start. She’ll face Courious Joan, who was in the same race Self Important won at Flamboro on May 8. The brown filly will get a driver change from Austin Sorrie to Anthony Haughan.

The trotting colts go in race five with Sir Ballykeel as the favourite, coming off a second-place finish at Woodbine on May 9. He posted a record of 0-1-1 in four Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots starts as a two-year-old, en route to earning over $29,000.

Wania (Wheelin and Dealin) is the second morning line choice and will look to hit the board for a fourth time this season in his ninth start.

Male pacers round out the evening in in races seven and nine. Ods Amores (Betterthancheddar) headlines the first division for male pacers. The brown gelding has one win from six starts in 2022, coming at Woodbine Mohawk Park on March 24.

Radar Enforced (Sportswriter) is the second favourite. He’s looking to find the winner’s circle for the first time this season. Sharky Bear (Hes Watching) is the 2-1 Morning Line favourite in the second division for male pacers.

The bay gelding has two hitting the board finishes in fourteen career starts. He’ll face competition from Nassau Hanover (Sportswriter), a bay colt who has earned over $14,000 in 2022, with a record of 2-1-2 from twelve starts.

First post time at Flamboro Downs is 6:35 p.m.

For full race entries, click here.

From Flamboro Downs