Fall Meet at Flamboro Downs is set to begin on Thursday

The 2024 Fall Meet at Flamboro Downs is set to begin on Thursday, Sept. 5, featuring an eight-race card on opening day. Post time is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., with the highlight being the $11,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace in race six, where six mares will compete. Despite starting from the outside post, Gias Surreal is the morning line favourite at 8-5. Driven by Tyler Moore, the Donald Lindsey-trained mare aims to maintain her perfect record at Flamboro, where she won both of her previous starts in the Mares Preferred category late last year. The eight-year-old So Surreal mare has made 24 starts this year, primarily at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and has an impressive career record of 37 wins, with a personal best of 1:49.3 and earnings exceeding $1 million. She recently claimed victory in two starts back at Hanover Raceway in the Gail Murray Invitational.

Driver Anthony Haughan had the choice between two mares: JM Betonsix (9-5), trained by Blake MacIntosh, and Twin B Tipster (4-1), trained by Gabiella Sasso. He opted to drive JM Betonsix, a six-year-old mare with 18 lifetime wins and nearly $300,000 in career earnings, including four wins this season. Daryl Thiessen will take over the reins on Twin B Tipster, an eight-year-old Bettors Delight mare with $375,986 in earnings and 19 career wins, though she has only one victory this year.

Another contender to watch is Watch Her Dewitt, listed at 7-2 on the morning line and starting from post four with Jason Ryan driving for trainer Shayne Barrington. The four-year-old Hes Watching mare has been in excellent form this year, securing 14 of her 16 career victories in 2024, bringing her earnings into six figures. She’s tied for the most wins by a pacing mare in Canada this year, with a streak of five consecutive victories at Mohawk in the spring and recent back-to-back wins at Grand River Raceway in late August.

The field is rounded out by Saulsbrook Olympia (9-2), trained by Vernon Cochrane and starting from post five with Colin Kelly, and Betternotmachme (6-1), leaving from post three under the guidance of the driver-trainer duo Travis and Jodie Cullen.

Flamboro Downs will host races on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays through September. In October, racing will shift to Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays until the end of December, except Christmas Day, Dec. 25. First post time will be 6:35 p.m. on all days except Sunday, when races will begin at 6:55 p.m.