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The Canadien Champion, Tuesday, August 21, 2001-21 îLack of competition continues to plague loc al boxer Hart Jr's pro gress siymied by no-shows and canceled events this year By STEVE LeBLANC The Champion Matt Hart Jr.'s boxmng progress continues to be KO'd. However, itfsflot superior flghters that are provmng to be the stumbling block - but rather a lack of competition altogether. 'Mat troublmng trend continued in Hamilton Saturday. Within the friendly confines of his Regency Boxmng Club, Hart Jr. failed to get matched up in his middleweight division and walked away from yet another event without any experience to show for it. 've been getting better every week, but just haven't been able to prove in thse ring," said the 24-year-old, who's expected to be featured in Below The Belt's Septemnber/October edition. Hart Jr. - the only known active local boxer - was sidelined with an eye injury back in thse winter and since then has had to contend with canceled club shows and opponients backing out due to their own ailments. 1 hese setbacks aren t doirîg ruch to advance the 165-pound pugilist- who retumed to training late Iast summer afteu a two- year hiatus but has since had just three fights, and only one in the past eight months. Slight mistake proved costly mhat bout camne complete with a painful lesson for the up-and- corner, who let down his guard for a aplit second and was clocked with a straight-away right to the nose - which dazed himn enough for thse referee to deliver a standing eight count and subsequently stop the flght. Hart Jr. hopes to take tIsas experience into battie next month for tIse Summer Haze Tournanent in Brantford. From there, he'll look to show strongly at October's Ontario Championships in St. Catharines. "Those are two big events, and I plan on comniag out on top in both of them," Ise said. Milton boxer Matt Hart Jr. plans ta corne out on top. -,Dreamfair Vogel tops the field at Confederation Cup By SANDRA SNYDER Special ta The Champion As usual Flamboro Downs' Confederation Cup programn on Sunday offered more than its share of excitement for Ontario harness racing fans, including a North American season's record by the two-year-old pacing colts in Gold Final action. For the second timne in less than two weeks, Drearnfair Vogel acorched around tIse half-mile oval in record-setting time. mhe Village Jiffy colt stopped the Flamnboro teletimer at 1:54.4 - shaving one-flfth of a second off the season's record he posted at Elmira Raceway August 6. Leaving from post three, Milton driver Randy Waples settled Dreamfair Vogel in fifth spot while favourite Daylon Frontier went straight su the front. As Daylon Frontier clocked fr-actions of :27.2, :56.3 and 1:25.2, Waples moved his colt steadily up the outside behiad cover provided by Stonebridge Pride and was sitting second by the top of the stretch. As the colts tumned for home, Waples asked Dreamfar Vogel for another gear and the colt responded with a inishing kick that saw him hit the wire a full length in front of pacesetter Daylon Frontier and three lengths ahead of third- place fmnisher Clifton's Revenge. John and Mary Lamera of Ingersoll bred and own Dreamfair Vogel, who boosted his lifetime earnings over the $200,000 mark with the win. Jason Libby trains the talented youngster, who adds the Gold Final hardware to his Battle of Waterloo trophy. Waples also captured the other $ 100,000 race on tIse card, the Gold Final for three-year-old trotting colts, when he steered Liberty Balance to a cormmanding wire-to-wirc victory. Made the heavy favourite when reigning Gold champion Bionic Ballad was scratched due to ilI- ness, Liberty Balance went straight to the front from post three and cruised home unchallcnged to a two-length, 1:58.4 triumph. mhomas and Elizabeth Rankin of St. Catharines own Liberty Balance, who is trained by Cambridge's Pat H-unt. mhe win elevated the Balanced Image son's eamingas o $1 70,364 and improved his record to five wins and four sec- onds in 10 starts. Ring 0f Lif scored an upset in the Confederation Cup Final - stopping the dlock in 1:54.2. Ontario Sires Stakes competitors Ton 0f Diamonds and Awesome Light rounded out tIse top three. Local favounite Bettors Delight made an uncharacteristic break in stride and finishcd last in the field of nine. mhe two-year-old pacing colts enjoy a six- week break before resuming their Gold Senies rivalry on September 27 at Mohawk Raceway. mhe three-year-old trotting colts will also get a holiday before rctuming to action at Windsor Raceway September 19. It was a profitable Wednesday aftemoon for a pair of local entries when the shree-year-old trot- ting fillies took to the track at Flamnboro Downs for a trio of Trillium Seres races. ln race five, Sweet Dreams Baby eamed the biggest slice of the provincial pie for hier 2:01.4 winning effort on behaif of owners Rene and Kim Bourassa of Rockwood and Gilles and Huguette Caoueste of Campbellville. Starsing from post position four, the Super Pleasure filly and Milton driver Chais Christoforou sat in third-place through the early going until charging ahead to take over thse lead at the halfway mark. From there, tIse three-year- old - conditioned by Rene Bourassa - had no trouble getting to the fmnish line ahead of the seven-horse field. Coming home hehind Sweet Dreams Baby in second-place was Savion. Francesca Hanover - another local entry owned hy Waples Stable lac. of Puslinch - John Bums of Mississauga and Richard Dinner of Etobicoke, was third. In race nine, the Trillium spoils went to Homnby Gail, owned by Homby's John Grant. Leaving from post two, thc Super Pleasure daughter took comrmand of the race immediately and landed Christoforou back in the winner's circle 2:00.1. mhe duo retumed a tidy $13.60, $4.20 and $2.40 for their Trillium win to wager- ing supporters. Please fax your team reports and sports story suggestions to Steve LeBlanc at 878-4943, or drop themn off at The Champion, 191 Main St. E. Your career Your choice. Your life. The Centre's pre-apprenticeship and certif ication programs provide short-term, comprehensive training that allows you to start a new career in less than a year. Industrial Electrician Industrial Mechanic Precision Machining and Tooling MSCE I-Net Certification Network+ Certification Construction Industry Motive Power Network Technician Web Designer A+ Certification Office Administration SThe Centre à SHSlsDevepment & Training OUTDOOR WATER USE BAN Halton Region has imposed mandatory restrictions on outdoor water use. Please do not water your Iawn or wash your vehicle during the temporary ban. Flower and vegetable gardens should be watered only as required with a watering can or hose with a nozzle. Recently laid sod is exempt from these restrictions. Cali Halton Regions Water Ban Hotline for information and updates at 905-825-6233, Toil free: I -866-4HALTON (1l-866-442-5866) or visit www. region. halton. on. ca for water saving tips. You can make a difference. Be water wise. a"" MWA7ER EFFICIEVCYPRGCXR.4M I - - - - - - - - - - - - --- - -- - 1