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It has been years since Gord Moulton had a horse this handy.
His three-year-old pacing colt Twilight Baron can sure get around a half-mile track, and that's why he's giving him a shot with the big boys.
Twilight Baron will compete in an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold elimination tomorrow at the half-mile Western Fair Raceway.
The purse is $43,600 and Moulton, 73, of Mount Elgin, who owns and trains the colt, will have a shot at a cool $130,000 in the Gold final on May 14 if Twilight Baron advances.
"He earned the chance to win," Moulton says. "In nine starts, he's made over $30,000.
"He's got fast leg speed for the distance."
Twilight Baron won his race last Friday at WFR, setting a mark of one minute, 57.1 seconds.
"He raced awful big last week," said driver Dennis Morrissey, who will be in the bike for Moulton again tomorrow.
Twilight Baron and Morrissey, from London, will be leaving from No. 6 post.
"He drew a bad post. He might not get the big cheque but we hope to get into the final," Morrissey said.
The top two colts in each of the three eliminations plus two others drawn will make the final.
Last year the colt had an amazing season, winning four of eight starts, placing second three times and third once.
Moulton also enjoyed such success with a mare that competed in Windsor and Detroit about 10 years ago, with the late, great Shelly Goudreau driving.
But the mare had a crooked knee and was retired early.
Moulton, who has been in the business for more than 30 years, still has the mare at his farm. She is in foal to Ryancoke, standing at Killean Acres in Ingersoll. Another sire at Killean, Run the Table, is a nominee for the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Run the Table is one of the most successful pacing sires in OSS history, producing winners of more than $81 million.
Race secretary Ian Fleming expects Moulton and Twilight Baron to be the sentimental favourites in tomorrow's race.
Fleming gave Twilight Baron 8-1 morning-line odds. The 5-2 favourite is Putnam Romeo, owned by Putnam Training Centre, Jamie Bardoel of London and Martin and Alex Hossack of Thamesford.
Other local horses in the race, the second on the card, include Sarnia owner-trainer Jim Ainsworth's Major Seelster, Vijay Bert, owned by Herman Bardoel of Putnam, and Big Bonus, owned by William Dorssers of Blenheim.
Tomorrow's other two elimination races are the fifth and eighth.
The Gold races kick off the OSS program, which runs until Nov. 19 at various tracks in the province.
About $19 million in purses in the program, which began in 1974, will be handed out this season.
For the 12th consecutive year, the OSS led all other North American sires stakes jurisdictions with 42 single-season winners of $100,000 or more last year.
The next best jurisdiction was Illinois where 14 horses made $100,000-plus.
Besides the Gold races, WFR will also play host to Grassroots racing for three-year-old filly pacers on May 28.