It is not every day a driver can win Gold Series events at two different racetracks, but Louis Philippe Roy accomplished the harness racing feat on Tuesday evening, steering two-year-old trotting filly Blue Magic to a win at Flamboro Downs and three-year-old pacing filly Shower Play to a victory at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Roy kicked off his winning evening at Flamboro Downs, guiding Blue Magic to a gate-to-wire victory in 1:59.4. The win was the freshman trotting filly's first in Gold Series action and moved her into contention for a post-season berth.
"Most of the time I drive for Susie Kerwood and Rene Dion I'm happily surprised with the result," said Roy, who drove Kadabra daughter Blue Magic to the win for trainer Kerwood and owner Tommy Andersson of Rockwood, Ontario.
Roy's comment would prove prophetic as the reinsman teamed up with trainer Rene Dion in the three-year-old pacing filly event at Woodbine Mohawk Park a few hours later. Starting from Post 1, Roy and Dion trainee Shower Play got away in the middle of the 10-horse field, content to watch Write Me A Song and driver Jody Jamieson ring up a :28.1 quarter.
Heading for the :56.1 half Roy sent the fan favourite up the outer lane, enjoying a brief wind break from pocket-sitter Percy Bluechip and driver Yannick Gingras just before the 1:24 three-quarters. As the fillies squared up in the stretch Percy Bluechip was leading the way, but Shower Play shifted into another gear and had a neck in front of last year's division champion by the 1:52.3 finish. Kendall Seelster was three and one-half lengths back in third.
"She was simply the best, one more time," said Roy.
Tuesday's win was the filly's third straight and her second in Gold Series action. In 16 lifetime starts the daughter of Shadow Play and Alice Emily has tallied nine wins, five seconds, one third and one fourth for earnings of $516,800.
Rockwood residents Dion and Kerwood share ownership of Shower Play with Martin Leveillee of St-Blaise-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec, who was on hand for Tuesday's victory.
"I've been excited since last year," said Leveillee when Woodbine Mohawk Park's Chad Rozema asked if he was looking forward to racing Shower Play in the Oct. 13 Super Final. "I was at Georgian Downs last year with Sylvain (Filion) when he drove, he said she can fight in the Gold and we kept her in the Grassroots, but from that day she never did a bad race. She did not always win, but she always threw good races and that is pretty phenomenal.
"Other horses do this too, Kendall (Seelster) and Percy (Bluechip) and Write Me A Song, too, but I own this one," added Leveillee with a laugh.
With their regular season complete, Shower Play and her three-year-old pacing filly peers will now begin preparations for the $225,000 Super Final. The top 10 point earners will return to Woodbine Mohawk Park for the lucrative season finale on Oct. 13.
Roy, who currently has a narrow lead in the Lampman Cup race for the leading driver in the Ontario Sires Stakes program, will have three more opportunities this week to pad his point tally as Woodbine Mohawk Park hosts the three-year-old trotting colts in Gold action on Thursday, the second last Gold event for the two-year-old pacing colts and fillies on Friday and the $400,000 Grassroots Championships on Saturday evening. Post time for all three programs is 7:10 pm.
From the Ontario Sire Stakes