The 50th Anniversary celebration of the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) will make its way to Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday, June 23, highlighted by a pair of OSS Gold Series races for three-year-old pacing colts and fillies.

There will be $140,000 on the line in each OSS Gold event; the colts will go postward in Race 6, while the fillies head to the gate in Race 8 as part of Sunday’s 10-dash card.

The field for Race 6 is highlighted by Unrivaled Hanover (pictured above), who will be driven by Jonathan Drury for trainer Shawn Steacy. A Hanover Shoe Farms-bred son of Bettors Delight, Unrivaled Hanover is owned by Bertrand Gilhespy Stable of Lake Country, B.C., Hudson Standardbred Stb Inc. of Hudson, Que., and a few owners based out of Eastern Ontario in David Reid of Sydenham, Ont. and the Landmark 16 Racing Stable fractional ownership group.

“I’ve always liked [Unrivaled Hanover],” said Mark Steacy, a three-time Johnston Cup winner as the top trainer in the Ontario Sires Stakes before handing the racing operation over to son Shawn. “When we bought him I thought he was a nice looking yearling, his pedigree was decent.

“He was always a good feeling horse, good gaited horse … and I think in the [OSS Gold Series], with Nijinsky not being there Sunday, and Funtime Bayama, I think he belongs.”

Nijinsky was the winner of the $1 million 2024 Pepsi North America Cup with Funtime Bayama finished third in that race and since being sold stateside. Neither will be in attendance Sunday, opening the door for Unrivaled Hanover and others to cash the big prize.

Additional horses to look out for in Race 6 include Storm Shadow and Trophy Taker. Storm Shadow was a Pepsi North America Cup participant, while Trophy Taker has already won an OSS Gold event earlier this year.

Another horse to look out for is Brudon. Bred by Jeffrey Moore of Courtright, Ont. and owned by Bruce Davy of Brockville, Ont., the son of McWicked is the longest shot on the morning line at 12-1, but could give a welcome surprise to his driver Brett MacDonald if he’s able to grasp his potential, according to his trainer Rod Hughes.

“He’s a very high-speed horse. He’s fast and seems to be able to carry it a long way. We just haven’t seen the results yet on paper,” Hughes said of Brudon. “From what he’s showing me, he’s just like a big kid. Like an athlete that just won’t give you 100 per cent all of the time. It’s there, but he just sometimes has his own thoughts on how it should go.”

The eighth race features a field highlighted by a pair of Grand Circuit capable fillies in Pass Line and Odds On Platinum leading the morning odds at 2-1 and 9-5, respectively.

With 6-1 morning odds, post three starter Betterwithglasses is the local horse to look out for in this race.

Bred by Winbak Farm and owned by 10462217 Canada Inc of Gloucester, Ont., Michael Horwood of Tecumseh, Ont., Lloyd Stone of Portland, Ont. and Victor Puddy of Mountain, Ont. Betterwithglasses features an ownership group that’s based mostly around or close to the Ottawa area.

Puddy, whose Mountain, Ont., home is just 25 minutes from Rideau Carleton Raceway, trains Betterwithglasses in addition to being one of her owners.

“She’s got a beautiful size, is well put together and has a great gait,” said Puddy of Betterwithglasses. “She’s got a great attitude and just a nice horse.”

Trevor Henry will be in the sulky behind Betterwithglasses on Sunday.

As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration, fans coming down to enjoy the races will also be able to win prizes via giveaways, there will be activity books for the young ones and take in a timeline illustrating the 50-year history of the OSS. In advance of Sunday’s celebration, noted Canadian harness racing writer and historian Robert Smith wrote a brief history of Rideau Carleton Raceway that you can read here.

Post time for the first race of the evening Sunday at Rideau Carleton goes at 6:30 p.m. For entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Rideau Carleton Raceway.

(with files from Ontario Racing)