Mark Etsell and his partners named the second generation product of their breeding program The Golden Child, but heading into Tuesday’s Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots event at Georgian Downs the trainer says The Problem Child might have been a more appropriate moniker.

“Just bad luck,” says Etsell about the three-year-old trotting gelding’s sophomore season. “Unfortunate things happen to him.”

The Golden Child has made nine starts to date, scoring two wins and one second to bank $24,993 for Barrie, Ont. resident Etsell, Neil Spahr of Wellesley, Ont., and Robert Newton of Walkerton, Ont.

In his Grassroots outings the gelding, who qualified for the Grassroots Semifinal as a two-year-old, has only managed a pair of fourths, one fifth and one sixth. With 21 points heading into the last regular season event, Etsell and his partners have already acknowledged that the trotter’s Ontario Sires Stakes career will wrap up on Tuesday.

“He should be a contender in the three-year-old trotting colts, but it’s just been one thing after another,” says the horseman. “We don’t get too optimistic any more. For a while we were, now if he puts in a good performance we’ll be happy.”

The Golden Child heads into Tuesday’s Grassroots test off a qualifying effort at Georgian Downs that saw him circle the Innisfil oval 15 and one-half lengths ahead of the competition in a personal best 1:56.4. The qualifier was required after the son of Striking Sahbra and $359,834 winner Vision Of Gold made two consecutive breaks in Grassroots action.

Etsell says the primary cause of the errors was equipment related and that The Golden Child should be ready to battle on Tuesday. The gelding prepped for his Grassroots swan song with a solid training effort on August 31.

“He’s ready to rumble,” says Etsell. “He trained this morning [Friday], he’s good to go.”

Etsell and his partners, who purchased the gelding’s grandmother Fleur Collins from the Harrisburg Yearling Sale in 1991, will be cautiously hoping that The Golden Child can bounce back to the form that saw him win two in a row at Hanover Raceway in July.

The Golden Child, with Etsell at the helm, will start from Post 7 in the seventh race on Tuesday. Among the colts they face are former Grassroots division winner Hey AJ from Post 6 and former Gold Series competitor Cimeronken from Post 8.

The other Grassroots divisions will go postward in Races 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10 and 11. Division point leader Our Mojo will be looking to maintain his top ranking from Post 7 in the third race. The ninth race will feature a showdown between number two ranked Canadian Wildcat at Post 4, fourth ranked Cool Creek Magic from Post 5 and Dream Of Glory champ Summer Indian, who is undefeated in two Grassroots starts and will make his bid for a third trophy from Post 1. John Hayes of Sharon, Ont., Parkhill Stud Farm of Peterborough, Ont., John Houston of Cobourg, Ont., and Goin To The Show Stable of Peterborough, Ont. share ownership of Summer Indian, who rides into Innisfil on a four race win streak.

Post time for Tuesday’s Grassroots laden program at Georgian Downs is 7:25 p.m.

To view Tuesday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Tuesday Entries - Georgian Downs.

(OSS)