OSS Double For Steacy & O'Donnell
It probably comes as no surprise to learn that a duo comprised of a double Hall of Fame driver and an O'Brien Award-winning trainer ruled the roost at Windsor Raceway on Tuesday evening, as the border oval hosted a quartet of OSS Grassroots divisions for two-year-old trotting fillies.
Bill O'Donnell, a Hall of Fame member in both Canada and the U.S., along with Mark Steacy, who hauled home last year's O'Brien Award of Horsemanship, clicked to win the first two divisions of Tuesday's OSS action with Lindys Goddess and Stonebridge Marita.
Lindys Goddess broke her maiden in the opening split, winning in a time of 2:02.2. The Angus Hall miss, who is owned by Landmark Racing Stable, Stan Klemencic, David McDonald and Joe Loring, defeated Sadie Eden and Lady Sierra Gold en route to her first win in six lifetime starts.
Stonebridge Marita snapped an 0-for-6 start to her career with a 2:01.4 score in the second division. The daughter of Angus Hall got the best of Striking Gold K and Autumn Audit for her owner/breeder, Angie Stiller, and partner Robert Kauffman.
Lunar Stream continued the string of first-time winners thanks to her 2:01.1 triumph for driver Steve Byron. The John Bax-trained daughter of Kadabra, who is a homebred owned by Al Libfeld and Marvin Katz, snapped an 0-for-9 start to her career by defeating Justwin and Maplewood.
Dutchess Seelster used a strong late surge to haul down race favourite Simply Stirling in the final strides in the fourth division. The Duke Of York miss, who was handled by Bruce Richardson for trainer Susie Kerwood, stopped the teletimer in a career-best clocking of 2:04 to defeat Simply Stirling and Town Hall Babe.
Kerwood shares ownership on the winner of $25,650 with partners Glenn Bechtel, Enviro Stables and Glenn Bechtel.
The top 16 point earners will have the chance to compete in a pair of OSS Grassroots semi-finals at Flamboro Downs on October 17. The top four finishers from each of those semi-finals will advance to the OSS Grassroots final on October 24.
To view Tuesday's results, click here.