The Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) season gets underway this weekend at Flamboro Downs with Prospect Series action on Saturday (May 20) and Grassroots racing featured as part of the Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup undercard on Sunday (May 21).

The four Grassroots divisions for three-year-old male trotters will go for a total of $87,800, beginning with a $22,200 division in the first race. All Star Yankee, Blake MacIntosh’s first of three starters drew post seven.

“If he behaves, he is probably the fastest of the three. He is a brother to Muscle Hill, so we have been high on him,” said MacIntosh. “He just doesn’t have the mental side figured out yet. But if we can get his mind straight, we should be okay.”

MacIntosh owns the son of My MVP, in partnership with Hutt Racing Stable and Van Camp Trotting Corp., who put over $23,000 on his card in the OSS last season. Sylvain Filion is slated to drive the colt for the first time.

Airborne is MacIntosh’s second Grassroots starter in the $21,800 third race. The Fred Clarke homebred broke his maiden earlier this year in the Ontario Sired Spring Series at Woodbine Mohawk Park and picked up his biggest cheque to date with the winner’s share of the $18,000 purse.

“His last couple of starts he hasn’t been trotting as good in the straightaways,” said MacIntosh. “But he’s been trotting the turns good so the half will pick him back up. He’s got speed and talent. He just hasn’t been trotting as good as he was, so we’ve been working on it with him.”

Rough Tuff Tested, the runner up in last year’s Grassroots Final goes for MacIntosh in Race 5, another $22,200 division. The Muscle Mass colt hit the board in two tries over a half-mile track last year in the Balanced Image elimination and final at Hanover Raceway.

“He will be just fine over a half,” said MacIntosh. “He trots pretty clean and pretty good. He’s a good horse, so I’m not worried about the half with him.”

James MacDonald will drive Rough Tuff Tested for MacIntosh and co-owners Van Camp Trotting Corp and Mortgage Boys Stable.

In the final $21,800 Grassroots division Deadline Hall figures to play a factor. Trained by Matt Bax, he earned nearly $70,000 in the OSS last season with a Gold division runner-up and third-place finish in the Super Final. He broke his maiden on April 27 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Bax Stable owns the Muscle Mass gelding in partnership with Steve Organ and Rick Heinz.

PROSPECT SERIES PREVIEW

Five Prospect Series divisions for three-year-olds are carded on Saturday with total purses of $43,400.

In the second race, the lone division for male trotters, Impressive Dude comes in off a win at Flamboro Downs and is the morning line favourite at 8-5.

Gimmie A Corona, the Prospect Series Final winner for two-year-old pacing fillies in 2022, returns to Prospect Series action in the third race, one of two divisions for three-year-old pacing fillies. She’ll face off against $20,000 earner Maple, who the morning line has tabbed as the 8-5 favourite.

Dewitt This Moment, winner of an Ontario Sired Spring Series leg, headlines the other division in Race 7. The Control The Moment filly is 1-0-2 in five starts this year with more than $12,000 in earnings.

Two divisions will go postward for male pacers in races four and eight. In race four, It Takes Two is the 5-2 morning line favourite. He has three wins this season at The Raceway at the Western Fair District.

The final Prospect Series dash of the night features Scribblers, who put close to $40,000 on his card last season thanks to a win and runner-up in the Ontario Sired Harvest Series at Mohawk in the fall.

To view the entries for the weekend cards at Flamboro, click on one of the following links: Flamboro Downs -- Saturday Entries / Sunday Entries.

(OSS)