Ontario Sires Stakes excitement arrives at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday (July 11) in the shape of 39 three-year-old trotting colts and geldings and, for the first time this season, fans will be on hand to cheer them home.

Trotting colts will square off in two $99,800 Gold divisions and a trio of $22,150 Grassroots Series divisions. In the Gold Series contests, two of the competitors will carry the hopes of local owners. Royal Tyrone starts from post 5 in the first split for Ottawa resident R. William MacQuarrie’s 1187422 Ontario Inc., and Tokyo Seelster gets post 4 in the second division for Braveheart Racing principals Frank Spagnolo of Ottawa and Kenneth Donald of Nepean and their partners Michael and Sam Sergi of Canton, N.Y.

“We were very happy with his first start and hoping to build on that for sure, because he only had a limited amount of starts before that race,” said trainer Jason Ryan of Royal Tyrone. “He’s come back a lot stronger this year for sure and a little longer, so he’s not as rough gaited as he was as a two-year-old. We’re just hoping for the best on Sunday.”

Royalty For Life son Royal Tyrone was a winner in the Gold Series at two before an injury cut his season short. Since returning to the racetrack in mid-June, the gelding recorded one third and one fourth in overnight action and then benefitted from an error by one of his peers in the July 1 Gold Series opener at Woodbine Mohawk Park, getting bumped from fourth up to third. Leading Ontario Sires Stakes reinsman James MacDonald was in the race bike for the last two starts, and will steer the gelding on Sunday.

“James (MacDonald) is getting along with him great, so that works out, as well,” said Ryan. “Right now I think everybody wants him (MacDonald), but we were lucky enough to get him early before he got too hot.”

Just six horses will go postward in each Gold division. Among the rivals lining up alongside MacDonald and Royal Tyrone are reigning Super Final champion Fashion Frenzie at post 1 and Lexus Kody, who finished in between Fashion Frenzie and Royal Tyrone in the season opener, at post 3.

Four Grassroots colts will compete for local connections, including Amigo Mio, owned by Wade and Philip Tousignant of Cardinal, Ont., and A Star Galaxy, co-owned by Katherine Steacy and Landmark 13 Racing Stable of Lansdown and A K Malik Stable of Ottawa, in the second division. In the last division, the Steacy Stable sends out Diehard Seelster, and Defcon Seelster competes for Gatineau horseman Guy Gagnon and his partners Gestion Louis Latulippe Inc. and Gestion Bruno Blouin Inc. of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Qué.

“I tried him in Toronto, but I brought him back to Rideau. He likes the five-eighths, the shorter track,” said Gagnon. “I think Mohawk, the stretch is longer for him, and he’s tired at the end of the mile, but he raced very good last week. Right now he looks very good.”

Since the June 15 start at Woodbine Mohawk Park that saw him finish ninth, Defcon Seelster has been sharp over the Rideau Carleton oval for the track’s leading trainer-driver. He finished second on June 24 and then reeled off a personal best 1:56.4 to win his July 1 outing. In his sophomore Ontario Sires Stakes debut the son of Muscle Mass will line up at the trailing post 9.

“I would prefer to be on the gate. He likes to leave, but we have to deal with the position with the nine-hole,” said a philosophical Gagnon. “He’s a nice horse to work with. He’s very honest, never made a break from the time he started to race at two. He’s a nice trotter. He just needs some racing luck and he should be competitive in there.”

Among the horses Defcon Seelster will face in Sunday’s 12th race is Sweet Soul David, who was a winner in the July 3 Grassroots season opener at Hiawatha Horse Park.

The Grassroots colts will compete in races 6, 10 and 12, while the Gold Series colts battle in races 4 and 8. Rideau Carleton Raceway’s first race goes in behind the starting gate at 6:30 p.m.

To view Sunday's complete entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries – Rideau Carleton Raceway.

(Ontario Sires Stakes)