Guelph residents Bjorn 'Bernie' Noren and Garth Gordon are readying trotting colts Hope For Justice and Aggressive for an early season showdown at Grand River Raceway on Monday, July 22.

Both colts were victorious in their divisions of the Gold Series season opener at Mohawk Racetrack on July 4 and would like to maintain their standing atop the two-year-old trotting colt leaderboard.

Hope For Justice will start with a moderate advantage after landing post three in the draw. The Windsong Espoir gelding and regular reinsman Luc Ouellette are heading into the event with a perfect record stretching back to a June 8 qualifier where they circled the Mohawk oval in 2:04.4. In a second qualifier at the Campbellville track on June 22, the duo posted a 1:59.1 win, and they improved that mark to 1:57.2 in the first leg of the Gold Series.

Noren shares ownership of Hope For Justice with breeder Mary Katz of Lexington, Kentucky.

Aggressive will start from Hope For Justice’s right at post six and Mike Saftic will steer the Kadabra gelding for Gordon and his partners Robert Lee and James Walker of Port Perry, Ont. Saftic engineered a 1:59.4 win for the gelding in the season opener and will be looking to replicate that effort in Monday’s eighth race. Like Hope For Justice, Aggressive qualified twice at Mohawk before making his Ontario Sires Stakes debut, posting a fourth on June 14 and a second on June 22.

Gordon and his partners acquired Aggressive at last fall’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale, offering up $24,000 for the half-brother to $181,424 winner Imageofasweetday.

In addition to Hope For Justice, Noren will harness three other Gold Series hopefuls in Monday’s test, British Steel, Blue Mitchell and Brixton. British Steel will try and improve on his fourth-place result in the season opener from post four in the third $35,000 division, one race later Blue Mitchell will make his debut from post four, and Brixton helps wraps up the Gold Series action in the 10th race, making his bid for a top finish from post three.

Post time for Grand River Raceway’s Monday, July 22 program is 7:05 p.m. and the two-year-old trotting colts will light up the Elora oval in Races 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, and 10.

To view Monday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Monday Results - Grand River Raceway.

(OSS)