Driver Phil Hudon captured a pair of $24,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots divisions at Kawartha Downs on Saturday night, including an explosive mile aboard Tye Seelster that matched the two-year-old track record
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Starting from the advantageous Post 1, Hudon sent Tye Seelster straight to the front and had established a one and one-half length lead by the :28.2 quarter. The pair maintained that margin through the :57.1 half and then began to open up on the field, reaching the 1:24.3 three-quarters over three lengths ahead of the competition.
Turning for home six lengths ahead, Tye Seelster added three more lengths to his margin of victory before sailing under the wire in a track record equalling 1:53. The time matched the record set by Winbak Noah in 2005. YS Charlie paced into second and local colt Machinthesand, owned by trainer Peter La Rush of Norwood, Ont. and George Blatherwick of Shannonville, Ont., was seven more lengths back in third.
The win was the second this season, and the first in Ontario Sires Stakes action, for Tye Seelster, who is trained by Ed Hayter for his father Victor Hayter of Stratford, Ont. Through four starts the son of Camluck and The Patriot has posted two wins and one second for earnings of $26,500. The win bumped the colt up the division standings, giving him a total of 75 points with two regular season events remaining. The top 16 point earners after six regular season events advance to the Sept. 23 Semifinals.
Hudon also posted a front-end victory in the eighth race with Ervin Miller trainee Some Or Lis, who cruised home to a 1:56.1 triumph over Just Doing My Job and North Shore Boy. Springfield, Illinois resident Miller shares ownership of Some More Lis with Bert Hochsprung of Elburn, Illinois and has sent the homebred son of Lis Mara and Grabbersome postward eight times this season. In those eight starts Some More Lis has tallied four wins and one third for earnings of $31,800. With one win, one third and one fourth the colt currently has 70 Grassroots points.
Kawartha Downs regular Gord Brown also made two appearances in the Grassroots winner's circle, kicking off his successful evening in the second $24,000 Grassroots division with R Gauwitz Hanover. Sent off as the heavy favourites, Brown and the Modern Art son gave their supporters a moment's worry heading for the quarter when the colt skipped off stride, but the young pacer recovered quickly and was only four and one-half lengths off the pace when So Take That led the field by the :57.1 half.
After stepping out three-wide at the three-quarters, R Gauwitz Hanover sprinted home to grab a half-length victory over Instant Thrill and P C Shockwave, halting the teletimer at 1:56.
Mark Steacy trains R Gauwitz Hanover for his wife Katherine Steacy of Lansdowne, Ont., Landmark IV Racing Stable of Elginburg Ont., David Reid of Glenburnie, Ont., and Bridle Path Stables Ltd. of Ossining, New York. Through eight starts the colt boasts an impressive six wins, one second and one third for earnings of $61,532. Undefeated in three Grassroots starts the talented youngster boasts a perfect point total of 150, putting him in second spot in the division standings.
Brown’s second appearance in front of the Kawartha Downs photographer came in the 10th race with Dave Menary trainee Huxley. Maintaining control from start to finish the pair rolled under the wire six and one-quarter lengths on top in a personal best 1:53.1. Iwilldowhatido and Explodent battled into second and third.
Menary trains Huxley for Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown, Peensylvania and Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg, Pennsaylvania. The Modern Art gelding has an impressive four wins and two seconds in six starts, including a sweep of two legs and the final of the Boys Of Summer Pacing Series at Rideau Carleton Raceway.
The other Grassroots victories were posted by If Youre Happy in 1:55.3; In Commando in 1:54.2; Machal Jordan in 1:54.2; and The Unsub in 1:54.3.
The two-year-old pacing colts and geldings make their second last regular season Grassroots start at Dresden Raceway on Sept. 5 and wrap up their campaign at Flamboro Downs on Sept. 16.
Ontario Sires Stakes action returns to Kawartha Downs on Thursday, Sept. 1 with the $130,000 Gold Final for the lightning fast three-year-old pacing colts, who matched the track record in their elimination last week.
While Georgian Downs hosted a full card of races contested at distances other than the regular one-mile for the fifth edition of Xtreme Horsepower on Saturday, Kawartha Downs also got in on the action with three of its own shortened races.
Kawartha hosted two 5/8-mile paces in which the winners took home the entire $5,000 purse. Dianes Place (Reg Gassien) won the first event by a neck in 1:12.4 over Im Fasterthanu (Gord Brown) while Siddall (James MacDonald) prevailed in 1:10.4 in the other by one and three-quarter lengths.
Aaron Andover (James MacDonald) was victorious in a $6,000 1-1/4 mile trot contested clockwise around the track in 2:34.2.
For complete results from Saturday's harness racing card, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Kawartha Downs.
(With files from OSS)