Rookie pacing colts battle in $190,000 OSS Gold

Century Lucifer (Shadow Play) and Stonebridge Wizard (Dancin Lou) captured the divisions of the first Ontario Sires Stakes Gold leg for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday (Jul. 5).

Century Lucifer prevailed in a hard-fought first division. He made two moves to the front for Paul MacDonell and led into the stretch battling with Bunkhouse Boss (Trevor Henry), brushing him off only to come under fire from Set Shot (Sylvain Filion). Set Shot grinded him down into deep-stretch, but Century Lucifer gutted it out to the line and held him off by a neck in 1:54. Time Passer (Louis-Philippe Roy) completed the triactor.

CENTURY LUCIFER REPLAY

The win was Century Lucifer’s first in two starts. He closed from seventh on debut with a :26.1 final quarter. He has now earned $49,420 for S&R Racing Stable, Marc Trudeau, SMS Ventures, and M and L of Delaware. Rene Dion trains the colt, who went for $25,000 at the London Classic Yearling Sale.

Stonebridge Wizard (Doug McNair), who became sire Dancin Lou’s first winner last week, came home fastest and passed three horses in the stretch to capture the second division in 1:52. He was a length-and-a-half clear of Sterling Choice (Filion) at the line with Fifth And Five (Jody Jamieson) another length adrift in third.

STONEBRIDGE WIZARD REPLAY

Stonebridge Wizard dropped two-and-one-fifth seconds from his initial mark set in his debut win a week ago. The Jared Bako-conditioned gelding went for $32,000 at the London Classic sale to David Kryway of Amherstberg. He is two-for-two with $55,500 in earnings.

Tells On A Roll (Tellitlikeitis) went all the way on top on the evening’s overnight feature. Travis Cullen rated her to fractions of :27.3, :56.2, and 1:24.2, and the mare turned away O’Brien Award winner So Much More in the stretch. Prohibition Legal (Roy) provided pressure to the wire but was a length-and-a-quarter short as the winner stopped the clock in 1:50.4. Caviar N Crackers (Ed Hensley) came home third.

TELLS ON A ROLL REPLAY

Tells On A Roll, and Indiana Sire Stakes champion last year, is now seven-for-12 on the season. She moved to Ontario in November for owners Paul Sanders, A1stable, and Ron Cullen. Jodie Cullen trains the four-year-old, who has now earned $522,486 and won 16 times in 38 career starts.

More Ontario Sires Stakes action is on tap on the next card at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday, Jul. 6. The feature will be the $150,000 Gold Mid-Season Final for three-year-old trotting fillies, accompanied by Gold leg one for the two-year-old pacing fillies. First post will be 7:10 p.m. EDT.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink