Woodbine Mohawk Park: Better B Bold victorious in OSS Gold Series

Better B Bold sat back off a hot pace and surged to a 1:51 win in a C$157,200 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series showdown for 3-year-old male pacers on Thursday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Macs Delight (Jonathan Drury) led to the quarter in 26 1/5 and then made a brushing Moment Is Here (James MacDonald) work until past the 54 3/5 half to clear. Hot on Moment Is Here's heels was 3-5 favorite Stockade Seelster (Jody Jamieson), but Moment Is Here wasn't in a yielding mood and left out Stockade Seelster to three-quarters in 1:22 2/5. Watching all this from back in seventh had been Better B Bold and driver Bob McClure, but McClure put him in motion four-wide late on the final bend, with Verdun (Louis-Philippe Roy) also swinging off the cones out of sixth.

In the lane Moment Is Here put away Stockade Seelster and tried to dig in and stave off the closers, but it was to no avail as Verdun and Better B Bold charged by him inside the final eighth. Verdun, the second-longest shot on the board at 35-1, looked like he had a chance at the big upset, but Better B Bold was able to out-finish him late in the mile, getting up for the victory by three-quarters of a length. Verdun wound up second and Whatchulookin At (Doug McNair) charged from last to third in the final panel.

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"Obviously sitting back there in seventh, I didn't think I was in a winning spot, but I did want to commit tonight to just one-moving him," said McClure. "I think he likes one move, so I just wanted to sit and be as patient as I could. He's got a really good kick if you save him. However the race had worked out, that was how I was going to race him."

A Winbak Farm-bred colt by Betterthancheddar, Better B Bold trained by Shawn Steacy for owners Mark Steacy, David Reid, Landmark 15 Racing Stable and Bc Reichheld Stables. He has a record of 5-4-0 from 13 starts, has banked C$213,706, and returned $16.40 to win after being dispatched at 7-1.