Grand River Raceway is gearing up for their signature events, the Battle of Waterloo and Battle of the Belles.

Industry Day is held annually at Grand River Raceway in celebration of the harness racing industry. The event takes place on the holiday Monday in August each year and boasts an incredible line up of racing action, including the aforementioned Battle of Waterloo and Battle of the Belles. With a post time of 12:30 p.m. (EDT), guests can expect an afternoon packed with racing entertainment.

The 24th annual Battle Of Waterloo and 13th annual Battle Of The Belles will be contested for estimated purses of $240,000 and $160,000, respectively. Elimination dashes will be contested on Monday, July 26 starting at 6:30 p.m. (EDT).

Eighteen Ontario-sired two-year-old pacing colts and geldings have been split into two nine-horse Battle Of Waterloo eliminations, each worth $15,000.

The first elimination (race four) features a pair of rookies who look to build on promising performances against Ontario's brightest young talent. Gabriella Sasso trainee Erinwood Yves, a son of State Treasurer, opened his career with a pair of top-three finishes in Ontario Sires Stakes Gold events at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Bob Loblaw, a Sunshine Beach gelding trained by Ken Middleton, beat Grassroots competition on July 9 before finishing a strong third in his lone Gold assignment the week after.

The second elimination (race eight) looks to have a clear-cut favourite in Betterhavemymoney, a Millar Farms-homebred son of Betterthancheddar who has recorded two Gold wins already for trainer Nick Gallucci. Multiple Grassroots winner Stews Watching, who campaigns for Dr. Ian Moore, is among the other likely contenders, along with Sports Section and Stone Carver, who have each won once in Grassroots company.

Fifteen freshman fillies have likewise been divided into two Battle Of The Belles eliminations, each worth $10,000.

Of the seven slated to square off in the first Belles split (race two), four have recorded top-three finishes in Gold company: Rhone Hanover, Stonebridge Thalia, Love That Smile and Marykeeponburnin. Of those four, Love That Smile, a daughter of Sportswriter trained by Rene Bourassa, owns the fastest mile in the split, having paced a 1:55 mile at Georgian Downs to finish second in a Gold event on Sunday (July 18).

Like in the Battle Of Waterloo, the second Belles elimination (race six) stacks up as the tougher one — at least on paper — as Gold winners Speak Your Mind and Fade Out square off to lead the field of eight. Speak Your Mind, a daughter of Artspeak, held her ground steadfastly to win in 1:55.3 on July 2 at Mohawk, and Fade Out, a Sportswriter filly trained by Gregg McNair, matched that time in victory at Georgian on Sunday.

The top four finishers from each elimination are guaranteed spots in the Battle finals, which serve as the centrepieces of an Industry Day card which also includes Ontario Sires Stakes action in the form of Gold and Grassroots divisions for three-year-old pacing fillies.

With the province currently in Stage 3, an outdoor capacity of 75 percent and indoor capacity of 50 percent is allowed. Industry day will return to its historic feel in 2021 with a crowd of 1,500 allowed in attendance. All of the exciting event details will be available later this week, but regular attendees can expect the backstretch area to be open for guests to picnic, the Captain's Quarters tiered dining room to be open for seating only (no food and beverage), a host of dining options including food trucks, and access to the recently opened GrandWay Lounge & Kitchen.

(Grand River Raceway)

To view Monday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Monday Entries - Grand River Raceway.