Sophomores take centre stage at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday evening, as 64 of the top trotters and pacers in Ontario square off

in eight $30,000 Grassroots Semifinals.

The top four from each Semifinal will advance to their respective $100,000 Grassroots Finals on Nov. 1, and Woodlawn resident John Smith is hoping trotting filly Skyla can mind her manners long enough to extend her season.

"If she doesn't make breaks she's a pretty good mare," says Smith. "But she has been known to make the odd break. She's young, she's green, and she's a little bit hot."

Through 15 starts this season Skyla has recorded eight wins and two seconds, with two of those wins and one second coming in Grassroots action. The daughter of Potato Race and Cheyennes Glory heads into Sunday's Semifinal off a runner-up showing in the last regular season Grassroots event at Georgian Downs, and Smith is hoping he has ironed out all the wrinkles that caused the filly to miss both September events.

"We had a few things to sort out," says the horseman, who had to qualify the filly four times between August 27 and October 1 before she produced a flawless effort. "She should be competitive."

Smith adds that driver Jacques Hebert gave the filly a very careful steer at Georgian Downs on Oct. 16 to ensure that she did not make a break and earned enough points to secure a berth in the Semifinal.

"He had to go a little careful because we couldn't take a chance on having another break," he explains. "Hopefully he'll be able to drive on a little bit this week."

Since making her debut on April 17, Skyla has made 10 starts over the Rideau Carleton Raceway surface. Her 1:59 personal best came in a non-winners of two races event at the Ottawa oval on July 16.

"It might help her a bit," muses Smith. "It's always a bit of an advantage; if nothing else, they don't have to truck so far."

Smith bred, owns and trains Skyla, who is the first Grassroots regular he has campaigned. Up until this season, the lifelong horseman has preferred to make the three hour trip to Hippodrome de Montreal for the Quebec Sires Stakes program, rather than make a five hour-plus journey to the diverse tracks that host the Ontario Sires Stakes program.

"I used to race on the Quebec circuit. I didn't want to race in the OSS," he explains. "This year I thought, well, if I'm going to make a living I guess I better change my mind.

"I'm 65 now. When you're 25, you don't mind going those long distances," he adds. "But I don't mind it as bad as I thought I would. I'll get used to it I guess."

With a two-year-old sibling to Skyla ready to break, and yearling and two-year-old Ken Warkentin siblings to $1 million winner Mccooeye to prepare, Smith is considering a temporary move to southern Ontario for the 2010 sires stakes season.

"I'd move the horses into a training centre and stay there for the summer," says Smith. "But first of all I have to get them ready. This year I didn't figure I had enough horses ready."

Smith built his reputation in the equine industry training problem horses from a variety of disciplines, and was first introduced to Standardbreds by a client. Over the years his racing operation has fluctuated in size, but if things go well on the Ontario Sires Stakes circuit next season he is considering adding a few more racehorses to his string.

"I hope to enjoy it for a few more years," says the horseman. "I've done everything - reining horses, barrel horses, hunters and jumpers - it's all I've done all my life. I couldn't see me not training horses."

Smith will send Skyla after a top four finish from Post 4 in the second trotting filly Semifinal Sunday. She and regular reinsman Hebert face division leader Stonebridge Diva, who was undefeated in regular season Grassroots action, from Post 7 in the $30,000 contest.

The first Grassroots Semifinal will open Rideau Carleton Raceway's Sunday evening program at 6:30 p.m., with the other seven going postward in Races 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 11.

(OSS)

To view Sunday’s harness racing entries, click here.