Trainer Anthony Beaton has made quite the splash in Ontario with his freshman and sophomore trainees as of late, mainly in the Ontario Sires Stakes program. The resident of Waterdown, Ont., currently sports a healthy .288 training average with his stable already having made 20 trips to the winner's circle this year. This Monday (Aug. 3), Beaton hopes to add a Battle Of Waterloo or Battle Of The Belles title to his resume — or even better, both.
In the $128,149 Battle Of The Belles Final, Beaton sends out two freshman fillies: Ring Of Kerry (post 1) and Turning The Table (post 2), who finished third and fourth respectively in their elimination last Monday (July 27).
Beaton offered up his thoughts on his Belles entrants.
“Ring Of Kerry is a homebred, so when she arrived at my barn last fall, she didn’t look like your typical horse that you would purchase from a yearling sale,” Beaton told Trot Insider. “But nevertheless, she progressed right along with the rest of my two-year-olds.”
“She really hasn’t done a thing wrong,” continued Beaton. “She can get a little warm on us in the race, but we’ve been working on her and have been trying different equipment on her to try and get her to relax. Really and truly she has been a very pleasant surprise, and I’m very happy to have her in my barn right now.”
The longtime horseman switched over to Ring Of Kerry’s stablemate Turning The Table.
“I got Turning The Table in April. She was one that we thought would be a very nice Grassroots, and in her first start she was third. So we gave her a crack at the Golds and she had some traffic trouble but still raced great. Like Kerry, she has been super and hasn’t done anything wrong. She has great gate speed and can get herself situated in a really good shot,” added Beaton.
“I was very impressed with how both fillies were in their eliminations, and I was very happy with how we drew in the final. I think we’re going into the Belles with competitive horses and I like our chances. Hopefully with the right trips, we can have a little luck. They both have had good weeks leading up to the final.”
Switching genders to the Battle Of Waterloo, Beaton offered up his insights on entrant Candy Trader, who leaves from post 7 in the $200,964 final after an elimination win in 1:55.2.
Candy Trader lifted late to narrowly capture his Battle Of Waterloo elimination at Grand River Raceway.
“Candy Trader is another one that I got in April. He has been nothing but just a nice colt since the day I got him. He was a little bit behind qualifying so we had just been racing him in the Grassroots, but he has just been super. He had a small issue early on that he overcame, and as a Bettors Delight, I think he will turn out to be a really nice horse someday. He’s won two races already and his second-place finish was a very very good second. I’m hoping that as the year goes on he will just keep getting better and better.”
Beaton also discussed his excitement on the colt’s elimination victory.
“He was amazing in his elimination. I thought he raced so super and Sylvain [Filion] gave him a great drive. I know he has a bad post in the final, but I think if he can get a helmet to follow and get towed into the mix, you’ll hear about him.”
However, despite the season Anthony Beaton’s stable has had thus far in 2020, the modest horseman credited the team that backs him on a daily basis.
“We put in some very long hours over the winter. Our staff works very hard and isn’t afraid to work hard, and that is one of the biggest things I think. I’m just really glad that some of our hard work has turned into success — when you do have a little success, you don’t even realize the hours are as long as they are. It’s been a great season so far and we’re just hoping we can keep it going. To win either the Battle or the Belles would just be an absolutely unreal feeling,” said Beaton.
“But, to be honest with you, it feels great to win any race, big purse or small purse.”
The 10-race Industry Day card at Grand River Raceway kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Eastern. While attendance at the event is limited to owners of horses competing on the card and other AGCO licensees by reservation, live streaming video of the full card is available for at grandriverraceway.com, and COSA TV (managed by the Central Ontario Standardbred Association) will present exclusive Industry Day coverage — complete with live coverage of the Battle Of Waterloo and Battle Of The Belles along with feature stories about the contenders — in a live two-hour special hosted on its social media platforms.
To view Monday's complete entries, click the following link: Monday Entries – Grand River Raceway.