There is $160,000 on the line at Grand River Raceway on Monday evening and 33 talented freshman trotting fillies are heading to Elora with hopes of earning a share of the Gold Series lucre and a berth in next week’s Gold Final

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Trainer Gregg McNair is sending Sturdy As A Hall into the fray, and the Guelph, ON resident is expecting some impressive performances from the young trotters in their Ontario Sires Stakes debut.

“There are a lot of nice fillies I think,” says the horseman, who will place the Post 6 saddle pad on Sturdy As A Hall’s back in Race 1.

“She usually gets around a half pretty good, so I hope things work out there on Monday night,” he continues. “She has the six-hole, so she will have to race pretty good to get qualified for the final.”

With four $40,000 Gold Eliminations, only the top two finishers from each contest will advance to the $130,000 Gold Final on July 11. Sturdy As A Hall and driver Doug McNair face a competitive field of eight that includes four fillies coming into the race off easy victories in their recent qualifiers. Sturdy As A Hall’s June 16 qualifier at Mohawk Racetrack saw her reach the wire two and one-quarter lengths on top in 2:04.1.

McNair and his partners 1035840 Ontario Inc. of Arthur, Leonard Gamble of Etobicoke, and breeder Frank Dettore Horse Racin of North Ridgeville, Ohio, purchased Sturdy As A Hall for $42,000 at last fall’s Lexington-Select Yearling Sale. She is an Angus Hall half-sister to Eagle Canada, a filly McNair has campaigned to earnings of $128,820 over the last two seasons, but the trainer does not see many similarities between the siblings.

“There were a few things about the same while she was training down, but not a whole lot,” he notes. “She had a mind of her own on the track for a while, and the other mare did too.”

Eagle Canada was a Gold Elimination winner at two, and McNair would love to see Sturdy As A Hall follow in her elder sister’s footsteps, but he is cautious about her chances on Monday.

“She’s in kind of a rough race I think,” he says. “I hope she races all right.”

The second Gold Elimination also looks to be laden with talent, and breeder Anna Meyers is keeping her fingers crossed that Wark Woman can deliver a strong performance from Post 3.

“With young horses, you really don't know what you truly have until they start racing,” says Meyers. “At this point, we are all keeping our fingers crossed.”

Rockwood residents Pat and Anna Meyers share ownership of Wark Woman, through their Emerald Ridge Farm, with trainer-driver Carl Jamieson of Princeton and Glengate Farms of Campbellville. Meyers says Jamieson’s early reports about the filly were promising, as were her qualifying efforts at Mohawk Racetrack on June 11 and 24 where she finished second in 2:01 and then first in 2:02.4.

"We are really looking forward to Wark Woman's first Ontario Sires Stakes start,” says Meyers. “She shows plenty of promise.

“We stood Ken Warkentin at our farm for five years and had a strong attachment to him,” she adds. “His offspring were very successful last year and we hope Wark Woman has the same grit and determination on the racetrack that her sire did."

The two-year-old trotting fillies will parade onto the Grand River Raceway oval for the first race at 7:10 p.m. on Monday, and will also showcase their skills in Races 3, 5, and 6. The top two finishers from each elimination will earn a return invitation to the Elora oval for the July 11 Gold Final.

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To view entries for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Entries – Grand River Raceway.