Texas Seelster will start from Post 7 in his Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots division on Wednesday, September 15, but the outside post has done nothing to dampen the infectious enthusiasm that owners Robert and Barbara Parker are spreading across the province

as their three-year-old pacing colt takes them places they have never visited.

“They’d never raced at Mohawk until this horse, and he’s won there a couple of times now,” explains trainer Scott Barr. “They’d never raced in the Ontario Sires Stakes until this horse, and they’ve won a trophy now.

“And they’ve never raced in Sudbury before,” concludes Barr, who will harness Texas Seelster in the fourth race at the northern oval on Wednesday.

Barr says he and Bob Parker will head north with Texas Seelster on Tuesday, to give the gelding plenty of time to rest before he makes his third Grassroots start. The gelding was a late arrival to the Grassroots party this season. With his first lifetime start coming at Flamboro Downs on July 4, Texas Seelster did not make his provincial debut until the third event of the sophomore campaign.

From Post 7 in that July 29 event, Texas Seelster was out in the middle of the Hiawatha Horse Park surface trying to find a path to the front, but had to settle for a third-place result. In his second Grassroots outing, on August 23 at Grand River Raceway, the gelding rolled off the rail to a 1:54.3 victory.

He is back out at Post 7 for Wednesday’s test and Barr figures the going will be tough in a field that includes three of the division’s top 10 point earners.

“I don’t know if he can overcome the seven-hole at Sudbury, there are a couple of good horses inside him,” says the Thamesford, ON resident. “Jeff Gillis’ horse [What The Sheik, Post 3] raced tough the other night and Luckamotion [Post 2] was huge at Georgian Downs a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully there’s some speed up front and we can get some cover.”

While Barr would like to see Texas Seelster draft along behind one of his peers during Wednesday’s race, the trainer qualifies his desire by saying that no cover might be preferable to following a horse that was not moving at the same clip as Texas Seelster.

“This horse is almost better without cover, because he drives a little funny. He’d be best first up or with advancing cover, and advancing quickly,” says the horseman, with a chuckle.

Barr notes that Texas Seelster’s driving wrinkles are most evident during warm up miles and post parades and have been less of an issue during races, but he gives a great deal of credit to regular reinsmen Scott Zeron and Sudbury native Mike Saftic for giving the gelding a solid education in his first seven lifetime starts.

“He’s kind of an aggressive animal, but not in a bad way, he’s eager,” Barr explains. “The drivers have done a great job with him. Scott Zeron has done a great job teaching him how to be a useful racehorse, and Mike Saftic has done the same thing, trying to keep him quiet.”

Oakville, ON resident Zeron, who currently leads all Canadian drivers in total wins with 376, will make the trip to Sudbury Downs to steer Texas Seelster on Wednesday. Barr emphasizes that there is no pressure on either horse or driver, that the Parker’s are thoroughly enjoying each one of Texas Seelster’s efforts whether they be win, lose or draw.

“There’s no pressure on the horse, no pressure at all. They’re having a lot of fun,” says Barr of the Dorchester, ON residents. “They’re having a lot of laughs, a lot of friends and family have traveled around to watch him race, and they are having fun with that.

“It’s a lot of fun watching people get excited again,” he adds.

After his first two Grassroots starts Texas Seelster sits in a three-way tie for 11th in the division standings with 62 points and if he can add a few more with a top five finish in Wednesday’s test and again in the regular season finale at Flamboro Downs on October 9, the entire town of Dorchester, ON may show up at Western Fair Raceway on October 16 for the Grassroots Semifinals.

To treat his owners to that new experience, Texas Seelster needs to start with a strong effort at Sudbury Downs on Wednesday, where he will battle in the fourth race. The three-year-old pacing colts will also wage $24,000 Grassroots skirmishes in Races 5, 7 and 8. The mid-week program gets under way at 7:15 p.m.

To view Wednesday's entries, click here.

(OSS)