Driver Scott Coulter earned a pair of victories in Grassroots action at Sudbury Downs on Wednesday evening

to boost his Ontario Sires Stakes win total to 10, a season’s best for the 39-year-old reinsman.

Coulter made the trip to Sudbury from his Brantford, ON base to steer Ciona Bromach in the second $24,000 Grassroots division and proved the trip was worth his while by urging the three-year-old pacing colt down the stretch to a three-quarter length victory in 1:56.

Fan favourite Royal Artist did all the work on the front end, clocking fractions of :28.2, 57.4, and 1:26.4, but could not hold off the late charge from the parade of colts on the outside.Ciona Bromach benefited from Sniper Seelster’s wind break through the latter half of the race, and his generosity earned Sniper Seelster a runner-up cheque. Pocket sitter Haul Away rounded out the top three, leaving Royal Artist to settle for fourth and Ise The By Boy in fifth. Only one and three-quarter lengths separated the top five finishers.

Debi O’Brien-Moran of Wrightstown, NJ bred, owns and trains Ciona Bromach, who boasts a record of two wins and one third in three Grassroots starts this season for a total of 112 points, good enough for fourth spot in the division standings. In 12 sophomore starts the son of Peruvian Hanover and Clonlara T has recorded three wins, one second and one third for earnings of $43,430.

Three races later Coulter picked up a catch drive aboard Little Gold Ring and made his second appearance in the winner’s circle, piloting the Western Terror son to the quickest clocking of the four Grassroots divisions.

Starting from the outside Post 8 Coulter once again laid off the pace and waited until the final turn to sprint past pacesetter Toughest Of All. Once they reached the front end, Little Gold Ring pulled away from the field to a two and three-quarter length victory in 1:55.4. Fan favourite Modern Era settled for second and Scotian Laddie picked up the third-place finisher’s share.The win was the second straight in Grassroots action for Little Gold Ring, who currently sports a point total of 100 and sits tied for seventh in the race for a berth in the Grassroots post season. Shawn Robinson conditions the winner of $33,570 for Doron Mikdash of Panama City, PAN.

Division leader This Is Wyatt scored his third Grassroots victory in the seventh race, rolling along on the front end to a 1:56.3 score for trainer-driver Joe Hudon. The Acton, ON resident and his wife Karen Hudon bred and own This Is Wyatt, who has an impressive sophomore record of five wins, three seconds and five thirds in 19 starts for earnings of $80,610. The Astreos gelding has 187 Grassroots points, 37 ahead of second ranked Modern Era.

Good Bad Lucky returned to Grassroots action after a seven week hiatus and picked up his second runner-up cheque of the season, finishing one-half length behind This Is Wyatt, and Wellthereyougo finished third.

The other Grassroots trophy went home with Luckcamotion, who went gate to wire in the first division, halting the Sudbury Downs teletimer at 1:56.1. Andy Baran was two lengths back in second, edging Q Rock into third.

Paul Taylor trains Luckcamotion, who jumped from twenty-sixth in the point standings up to eleventh with his first ever Grassroots victory. The son of Camotion and Lady Luck is owned by breeder Robert Key of Leechburg, PA and was piloted to the victory by Trevor Henry of Arthur, ON.

The three-year-old pacing colts have one last opportunity to earn points this season, squaring off at Flamboro Downs on Oct. 9. Following that event the top 16 point earners will advance to a pair of $30,000 Semifinals at Western Fair Raceway on Oct. 16. The top four finishers from each Semifinal will then compete for the Grassroots title, and a share of $100,000, in the Oct. 23 Final.

Wednesday’s Grassroots event concluded Sudbury Downs’ 2010 Ontario Sires Stakes schedule, which also saw the northern oval play host to the province’s top two-year-old trotting colts, two-year-old pacing colts and three-year-old trotting fillies.

A pair of $11,000 Not Listed Preferred events were also held on Wednesday night and resulted in a new track record for aged trotting mares. Flora Dream ($5.20) worked her way to the lead past the half-mile marker in the trotting event and kicked away by six and three-quarter lengths to win her Sudbury debut in a track record time of 1:57.2 for teamster Robert Shepherd and trainer David Menary. The former record of 1:58.3 was held by Bjs Fancy, who finished third in Wednesday’s trot with Allan Hohner in the bike.  Check Le Look and David Dowling was the runner-up. The six-year-old daughter of Taurus Dream-Klelia has won four times in 16 starts this year and sports a bankroll of $38,670 for owners Leo Tourigny of Becancour, QC and Lapharmaciedekedgwick Inc. of Kedgwick, NB.

Returning to action in the Preferred Pace after nearly a month off, Mr Coolie ($9.50) sat fifth for most of the mile before unleashing a :29.2 final kicker to get up for the half-length victory over favourite Priceless Edition (Simon Allard) and pacesetter Rush Rules (Aaron Byron) in 1:55. Doug McNair drove the four-year-old son of No Pan Intended-Armbro Vertical to his second consecutive win and seventh in 25 starts this year for his father, trainer and co-owner Gregg McNair, and Ian Fleming of Londesborough, ON. The lion’s share of the purse pushed his seasonal earnings over the $100,000 mark.

For complete results please click here.

(With files from OSS)