A two-year-old pacer named A Spring Of Hope is one of 21 colts who will go postward in two flights of the $160,454 Champlain Stakes this evening at Mohawk Racetrack. Leaving from Post 8 in the second flight, he's listed at 15-1 and looking for his first victory. But the connections of this colt have more than just a winner's circle photo in mind.

Owner Richard Young has pledged that all the profits from the career of A Spring Of Hope will benefit the charity his daughter Brittany launched two and a half years ago, at the age of 15. The project, also called A Spring Of Hope, raises funds to dig wells for remote rural schools in southern Africa. To date, it has installed two wells and also helped to build a school library and medical clinic in Acornhoek, South Africa.

Although Brittany has demonstrated great commitment and has successfully established fund-raising chapters for her charity in schools across the United States, her father, a native of Montreal now based in Coconut Creek, Florida, decided another fund-raiser was in order. Having been involved in harness racing as an owner for 22 years, he purchased four yearlings last fall, with the notion of naming the best of the four A Spring Of Hope and dedicating his earnings to making access to water a reality on the other side of the world.

"We didn't really know which one to name A Spring Of Hope at first," Young says, "but as it turns out the one I chose is the only one who's currently racing, so I guess I did pick the best one!"

The brown colt, a son of Camluck out of the Jate Lobell mare, Kisses N Candy, was a $72,000 yearling purchase at the Lexington Select sale last fall. He is being trained by Kevin O'Reilly, and Jody Jamieson is slated to drive him on Saturday night.

"He hasn't broken his maiden yet, but he has talent, we're sure of that," Young says. "Honestly, I think he's probably the second best two-year-old in Ontario right now, next to Nebupanezzar. We've just been kind of unlucky.

"When he was at Flamboro (for the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold final in August), he drew outside the good ones both times. He was hitting his knees a little bit there, too, so we changed his shoeing, and then he ended up making a break in the final because of the shoes. So we're still tinkering with him.

"We drew outside the good ones again for the Champlain, so he's going to be up against it, but he has more talent than he has had a chance to show. If you look at his miles, he has a good closing kick. He's gaining ground when the others are losing it.

"We believe he's going to be very competitive, at least in the Sires Stakes program. And I wouldn't have put him in the Champlain if I didn't think he belonged there, I don't do that."

The Champlain Stakes are races 5 and 10 tonight at Mohawk. Post times are 8:54 p.m. and 10:39 p.m.

For more information on A Spring Of Hope, click here.

(WEG)