Jody Jamieson is excited to hit the track at Grand River Raceway for this year’s edition of Industry Day, and those reasons transcend the fact that he’s coming into the main events with horses that won eliminations of both the Battle of the Belles and Battle of Waterloo.

“I think it’s a great lineup,” said Jamieson of his nine races on the holiday Monday at Grand River Raceway. Of those nine drives, four of them come aboard horses that are picked for first or second on the morning line: Ontario Sires Stakes Gold competitor Dabarndawgswatchin (8-5)in Race 3, OSS Grassroots starter Sports Duchess (5-2) in Race 6, Battles of the Belles elim winner Warrawee Xpat (2-1) in the $145,060 Battle of the Belles Final in Race 10 and stablemate Erinwood Yves (2-1) in the $251,050 Battle of Waterloo Final.

A $6,000 Ontario Selected sale yearling, Warrawee Xpat (Sportswriter - Greenwich Girl) captured her Battle of the Belles elimination in 1:55.4 for her second win in her first three starts. Gabrielle Sasso trains the filly for Jeffrey Courchesne of Cambridge and Martwest Racing Stable of Mississauga, Ont.

Jamieson was impressed with her performance and is eager to see what she can do in the finals. “She was great, and we got to control the race. I don’t suspect we’ll be able to control the finals. Whether I want the lead or not, I’ll have to go a bit more because anytime you put big money on the line it turns into a good race. She was slower than the other elimination winner, but she was a winner all the same. She’s a nice filly and doesn’t do anything wrong.”

Warrawee Xpat drew post position three and Jamieson is not too concerned about the filly’s chances. “It’s a real good spot at Grand River. On a half-mile track, you often want the rail, but the middle of the track is a really good spot to be when you have a leaver. I’m going to let her leave as much as she can. I’m pretty confident in her and I think she has a lot more to offer.”

Jamieson also sends out Erinwood Yves for the same connections plus co-owner Erinwood Equine in the 2021 Battle of Waterloo. The son of State Treasurer - Zayra Bayama got his first lifetime win in the Battle elimination where he paced the mile in 1:55.1. The $12,000 Ontario Select purchase hasn’t missed the board in three starts and sports $45,306 in purses from that trifecta of appearances.

Jamieson and his equine teammate sat the pocket in his elimination, although Erinwood Yves might have preferred to win a different way.
“He was really bionic. He paced out of there like a champ. He really didn’t like the hole, but we were locked in until the stretch. He was just awesome in his elimination.”

Erinwood Yves is the slight second choice on the morning-line odds behind 7-5 favourite Betterhavemymoney (PP5, James MacDonald) who won the other elimination in 1:54.2.

“I’m expecting a good effort from him for sure. If he gets his shot, I think he’s good enough to win the race.”

Jamieson has had plenty of success on Industry Day and recalls many fond memories of his time at both Elmira Raceway and Grand River Raceway on the first Monday in August.

“It’s always special to capture the Battle of Waterloo and to win the last race of the day. I won it a couple of years ago with my dad’s horse [Sports Obsession in 2019] and that one was extra special.”

The last year and a half has been far from normal and that certainly is not any different in the harness racing world. The lack of live crowds has been noticed by those who put on the show, and Jamieson is looking forward to a live crowd for the 2021 edition of Industry Day.

“It really sucked racing with no fans. I know we needed to race and as an industry, we did whatever we needed to do to race. To have them back now is amazing and even the first day with only a few owners back at the track made the atmosphere that much better.” Jamieson is known for taking the winning horse up to the fence and that gives the fans a chance to say hello and get up close to the on-track athletes. “I love taking the winning horse along the fence to let the fans get a good look. It’s a chance to give back to the people who come out.”

Jamieson will have a long day of work as he will have to make the 40-minute drive to Woodbine Mohawk Park immediately after. Between the two cards, Jamieson will have 17 drives on the day. The workload does not bother Jamieson at all and he’s just happy to be a part of it. “That’s just what I do. It’s my job and this time of year you just race as much as you can.”

Grand River Raceway’s Industry Day will kick-off at 12:30 p.m. (ET) with an 11-race card. To view the entries, click one of the following links: 2021 Industry Day Entries || 2021 Industry Day Program Pages.

(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Trey Colbeck)