Hiawatha Horse Park will be the testing ground for 36 talented two-year-old trotting colts this Thursday as the youngsters compete in four $24,000 Grassroots divisions

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Local colt Lefty Lavec will make his debut from Post 3 in the first Grassroots division, and owner-breeder Douglas Kingdon hopes the youngster can find his place among Ontario’s best this season.

“Hopefully he shows good on Thursday, that would be great,” said the resident of Forest, Ont. “It would be a nice summer to be able to follow that (Grassroots series) around.”

Kingdon purchased broodmare Ramas Mackie in foal to Mr Lavec in February 2008 and welcomed Lefty Lavec three months later. Last October Kingdon sent the trotter to trainer Darcy McClure, and both men have been pleased with the gelding’s progress thus far.

“I’ve never had much to do with trotters. This is the second one that I’ve had,” Kingdon noted. “I liked him because he just seemed so laid back at the time. He seems older than what he is.”

Clinton, Ont. resident McClure qualified the gelding at Hiawatha on July 1, and Lefty Lavec delivered a steady runner-up effort, reaching the wire in 2:04.2. Not wanting to raise expectations, McClure had billed the qualifier as an educational outing for the trotter, so Kingdon was delighted when Lefty Lavec toured the five-eighths oval fast enough to qualify for Thursday’s Grassroots contest.

“We did two things at once, plus I wasn’t as nervous,” the owner admitted, with a chuckle.

Kingdon has been involved with standardbreds since he was a youngster, as he inherited an interest in horses from his father, William.

“Dad had horses and, fortunately or unfortunately, I got mixed up with them. I’ve had them all my life,” said the horseman, who currently has seven broodmares and four foals in his care. “For the last couple of years I’ve kept one or two, or got stuck with one or two, and they’ve done all right racing.”

At present, Lefty Lavec is the only racehorse Kingdon owns, and the breeder would love to see the sharp looking black gelding put together a successful freshman campaign.

“He is a very good looking individual,” Kingdon noted. “He’s a good sized horse now and I think he’ll get even bigger, but hopefully he puts that on hold for a few months.”

Young reinsman Nicholas Steward of Dorchester, Ont. piloted Lefty Lavec in his qualifier and will be back in the race bike on Thursday. The pair faces a field of eight young trotters, half heading into the Grassroots season opener from a qualifier, and half with one start under their belt. The first division also features the trotter that fetched the highest yearling price of the 36 entrants.

Hammered down for $67,000 at last fall’s Canadian Open Yearling Sale, Mister Herbie, the son of Here Comes Herbie and $186,952 winner Independent Lassie, will make his first start of the season from Post 9 for trainer-driver Carl Jamieson of Princeton, Ont. and his partner Thomas Kyron of Toronto, Ont.

The freshman trotting colts are featured in Races 6, 7, 9 and 11 at Hiawatha Horse Park on Thursday night, with the Sarnia oval’s first race rolling in behind the starting gate at 6:30 p.m.

To view the entries, click here.

(OSS)