Just hours after her big brother Bay Of Sharks won a Confederation Cup elimination and then finished third in the final at Flamboro Downs, Bay Girl picked up the biggest cheque of her career when swept past rivals for an impressive win in a career-best clocking of 1:52.2.
Mario Baillargeon got away seventh with the daughter of Royal Mattjesty-Whitley Bay, who watched Tiz To Dream sliced out early panels of :27 and :56.2 before being overtaken in the third quarter by race favourite Western Silk. That filly rocketed to the top and sprinted the field to the three-quarter pole in 1:24 before tiring.
Baillargeon, who had his charge positioned second-over at the top of the stretch, used a :27.2 final frame to blow by the leaders en route to the one-length decision in 1:52.2. Precious Cammill was second best and Tiz To Dream re-rallied up the rail to finish third. Final cheques went to Western Silk (4th) and The Big Scoop (5th).
“I followed Randy [Waples driving Precious Cammill], I though Randy had a great filly in there,” said Baillargeon. “He gave a hole to Mark leaving the gate, and I ended up third over. I wasn’t worried after the trip she went last week, she came from an impossible spot last week. I was five wide last week and she still came home in :27.2. This week Wallace [trainer Ben Wallace] did some work on her and she seemed a little sounder tonight than she was last week, too. Her feet were stinging her a little bit, and tonight she was a bit sounder.
“She has the Champlain, we’ll try to keep her in Ontario,” he added. “She probably has 10 or 11 starts left, and that will be enough for her.”
Ben Wallace conditions the career winner of $93,040, who was a $7,000 purchase from last year’s Forest City Yearling Sale, for owners Michael and Sam and Pat Sergi of Canton, NY.