Flamboro: Bamond pair vies for Confederation Cup win

Bamond Racing LLC will send out another strong pair of contenders when a field of nine lines up behind the gate at Flamboro Downs on Sunday evening for the $226,575 Confederation Cup for 4-year-old pacers.

The Bamond contingent of Ideal Cowboy and Bettorever were both driven by Corey Callahan in their eliminations last week and he will land on the latter as Bamond regular Tim Tetrick gets the call on Ideal Cowboy.

Ideal Cowboy was the recipient of a taxing trip in his race a week ago. After settling in third, Callahan sent the 4-year-old son of American Ideal towards the lead. He battled with heavy favorite Limelight Beach and by the time he cleared that foe, a pair of closers gobbled him up and he had to settle for third.

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“My horse was revved up and didn’t want to sit in,” said Callahan about his tactics behind Ideal Cowboy in his elimination. “I figured I’d brush and Yannick would let me go, but he didn’t. He went a big trip to finish third.”

Ideal Cowboy picked up post one for the final and was installed as the 5-2 second choice on the morning line.

Bettorever had nearly the exact opposite trip in his elimination. Callahan had him sitting last along the cones for much of the mile before finding a seam between foes approaching three quarters and closing willingly for second behind a runaway winner in All Bets Off.

“He was really good in his elimination,” said Callahan, who knows he has his work cut out for him starting from post seven in the rich final. “He will be coming from eighth or parked the mile, but he can stay on the rim all day and I doubt it will bother him.”

While Callahan admitted given the choice he would have chosen Ideal Cowboy to drive, sometimes you don’t get to choose. That was also the case for Yannick Gingras, who drove All Bets Off to an elimination win in a track record 1:50 4/5 but will drive Limelight Beach in the final. Regular driver Matt Kakaley returns to the bike aboard All Bets Off, a winner of over $900,000 as a 3-year-old.

All Bets Off starts from post five as the 8-5 morning line favorite. Limelight Beach starts one spot to his outside in post six. Ron Burke trains both finalists.

Let’s Drink On It, the other elimination winner from a week ago, was unlucky at the draw and wound up with post eight in the field. He will be driven once again by Billy Davis, Jr.

The Confederation Cup is carded as race 10 on a 12-race program that also features a Racing Under Saddle event with seven entrants. Post time at Flamboro is 6:00 p.m. on Sunday.

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