With just two regular season Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots events remaining, the three-year-old trotting fillies will be all business when they arrive at Grand River Raceway on Wednesday, September 8

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With each Grassroots start the fillies have been accumulating points toward a berth in the lucrative post season, hoping to be among the top 16 point earners from the six regular season events. Locally owned filly Dekorra currently has sole ownership of 12th spot in the division standings and trainer John Holding is hoping she can grab a few more points from Post 4 in Wednesday’s ninth race.

“That is a good hole for her. With a trotter, the three or four is good,” says the Campbellville, ON resident, who shares ownership of Dekorra with Morley Bosomworth of Elora, ON. “I think she’s got a legitimate shot at making the Semifinal.”

Through her first four Grassroots appearances Dekorra has posted two second-place finishes and two fourth-place finishes for a total of 66 points. The Mr Lavec daughter heads into Wednesday’s test off a steady 1:59 mile in an August 24 overnight at Mohawk Racetrack where she finished seventh. Bill “The Magic Man” O’Donnell has driven the filly in her last two outings and will be back in the race bike at Grand River.

“It doesn’t hurt getting a Hall of Famer to drive,” says Holding.

The trainer notes that Dekorra is an easy-going filly around the barn and on the racetrack, adding that she seems to be gaining strength as the season progresses and will continue to be a valued member of his stable as a four-year-old.

“She’s good, she’s never made a mistake,” says the horseman. “She gets a little soft coming for home, but she’s getting better every time. I think she’ll be a really nice race mare.”

Holding and Bosomworth purchased Dekorra from the 2009 Fall Extravaganza Mixed Sale for $5,000. The filly had been campaigned as a two-year-old by trotting specialist John Bax, making just four starts before being turned out in September.

“She showed she could trot a mile in 2:03.3 over Kawartha, she seemed fairly sound, and I knew she wasn’t abused,” recalls Holding. “We gave her two weeks off and started back with her the middle of November.

“She’s a good eater, she loves her paddock time, she’s good in the barn; she’s just a nice horse to be around,” he adds. “And you can put her right on the gate; she’s very easy to drive.”

The partners earned a relatively quick return on their investment when Dekorra posted a win in her first sophomore start, a non-winners of one race event at Georgian Downs on March 20. In the Celias Counsel Series at Woodbine Racetrack in April, Dekorra posted a third and fourth in the legs and then finished sixth in the final. The filly then finished second in an overnight at Western Fair Raceway followed by a second in her sophomore Grassroots debut at Western Fair on May 19.
Through 13 starts this season the filly has one win, three seconds, one third, five fourths and one fifth for earnings of $27,805.

Among the fillies Dekorra and O’Donnell will face in Wednesday’s $24,000 Grassroots division are former Grassroots winners Always A Favourite from Post 6, Ruling Class from Post 7 and Rose Of Mali from the trailing Post 9. Rose Of Mali is currently ranked eighth in the division standings with 80 points, but Always A Favourite and Ruling Class need to pad their total on Wednesday. Both fillies have 50 points and sit in a seven way tie for 20th spot.

The three-year-old trotting fillies will wage their second last Grassroots battle in Races 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 on Wednesday, with the first division kicking off the Grand River Raceway program at 7:15 p.m.

To view Wednesday's entries, click here.

(OSS)