Ritchie bets on sports model in Gold Final

LONDON, MAY 14, 2002 - After capturing both of last weekend's Gold Series Eliminations at Western Fair Raceway driver Trevor Ritchie faced a difficult choice. Which three-year-old trotting colt would he drive in Saturday night's $130,000 Gold Final?

When both colts drew inside post positions - Ryan Hall will start from Post 2 and Semper Fi Hall from Post 3 - the choice became even tougher, but in the end Ritchie opted for Semper Fi Hall because of his ability to manoeuvre Western Fair's half-mile turns.

"It was a pretty tough choice, but Semper Fi Hall just seems like he may be the handier horse on a half-mile," says the London native, who now makes his home in Acton to be close to the Woodbine Entertainment Group tracks where he is a fixture in the leading driver ranks.

"They both raced really good and they were both strong at the wire. From a talent standpoint I'm not sure which is the better horse."

Doug McIntosh trains both sons of Balanced Image for Walnut Hall Limited of Lexington, KY and the Wheatley resident says he left the decision entirely in Ritchie's hands.

"It was his decision. I talked to him this afternoon and he said, "For a five-eighths mile track I might reverse my decision, but for this track I think I'll stick with the sports car,"" says the veteran trainer, who selected Greg Wright, Jr. to pilot Ryan Hall after Ritchie made his decision.

McIntosh adds that both colts were in good shape after their Elimination wins last Saturday when Semper Fi Hall captured the first Elimination in 2:02 and Ryan Hall captured the second with a 2:03.1 effort. Although some of the top Gold competitors from last year were missing from the season opener, McIntosh believes his talented duo will measure up well in the weeks
ahead.

"I know some of the best ones were not there, but for that group they stacked up really well. And as the summer goes on I think they will stack up well with the Gold horses," he notes.

Both colts spent last season competing at the Grassroots level, with Semper Fi Hall earning the two-year-old trotting colt Grassroots Championship, and McIntosh is convinced that strategy was integral to the colts' current success.

"The Grassroots is a wonderful thing," says McIntosh. "It allows horses to mature into themselves without tearing them apart at the start of their career."

Several other competitors in Saturday's contest are Grassroots graduates, including Y Chance It. Owned by trainer Ron O'Neill of Cambridge, Fred Petersen of Mossley and Lynda Franklin of Ingersoll, Y Chance It will make his bid for the golden goodies from Post 6.

Western Fair Raceway's first race rolls up behind the starting gate at 7:30 pm on Saturday and the talented three-year-old trotting colts will show off their skills in Race 9.