Good Bad Lucky wrapped up the Grassroots regular season with a perfect record, scoring his third win in three starts at Western Fair Raceway on Monday
afternoon.
The two-year-old pacing colt and Woodstock resident Brad Forward cruised away from the starting gate into fourth spot on the rail as High Net Worth led the field to a :29 opening quarter. Forward sent Good Bad Lucky after the lead before the :59.2 half and the colt was comfortably in control by the 1:28.2 three-quarters. Pacing steadily to the wire, Good Bad Lucky secured his third Grassroots victory with a 1:59.1 effort.
Early leader High Net Worth tailed Good Bad Lucky into second, one and one-quarter lengths behind the leader, while Southview Anand’s trip around the outside earned him third-place honours, five and three-quarter lengths to the rear.
Windsor resident Bob McIntosh trains Good Bad Lucky for his partners Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. of Leamington and Dwight Stacey of Mitchell. The partners bred and raised the son of Camluck and Our May West, who has netted four wins and one second through nine freshman starts, banking $52,075. The pacer’s three Grassroots victories earned him 150 points, good enough for third spot in the division standings.
McIntosh trainee Mcmaverick also picked up a victory at Western Fair on Monday, getting a patient steer up the inside from young reinsman Doug McNair to grab the 1:58 victory.
Lyons Frank grabbed control of the race early and rang up fractions of :28, :57.1 and 1:27.3 without facing a challenge. Floating off the starting gate from Post 2, McNair dropped Mcmaverick onto the rail in fifth behind fan favourite Warrawee Lad, but opted not to follow when Brad Forward tipped that colt to the outside heading for the half. Heading down the backstretch for the second time, first over St Lads Dude began to falter on the outside, giving pocket sitter Wave That Banner room to slip out, and forcing Warrawee Lad out three-wide.
As each colt moved to the outside, Mcmaverick moved closer to the front, and by the head of the stretch the colt was sitting one and a half lengths behind the leader in second. A smart finishing kick propelled Mcmaverick down the stretch to a two length victory over pacesetter Lyons Frank and fan favourite Warrawee Lad.
The victory was Mcmaverick’s first, and was enough to launch the Western Maverick son up the standings and into a berth in the Oct. 23 Grassroots Semifinals. In 11 starts the colt now has one win, two seconds, two thirds and $33,930 in earnings for McIntosh and C S X Stables of Liberty Center, Oh, who bred and own the pacer.
P L Dangerous clocked the fastest mile of the four $24,000 Grassroots divisions at Western Fair on Monday. The Cam Dunc colt, bred and owned by Prince Lee Acres of Uxbridge, grabbed control of the race just past the :29 quarter and cruised along through a :59 half and 1:28.2 three-quarters en route a 1:57.4 victory.
St Lads Bounty reached the wire seven and one-quarter lengths back in second, with Cajon Thunder hot on his heels in third.
Dan Clements engineered the colt’s second Grassroots victory for trainer Roy Jeffries, who shifted the colt into the Grassroots program after failing to gain a toe hold against the Gold Series colts earlier in the season. Through nine outings P L Dangerous has posted two wins and two seconds for earnings of $35,560. Two wins and one fourth in Grassroots action send the youngster onto the Semifinal round tied for seventh spot in the standings with 108 points.
The final Grassroots division was captured by Twin B Warrior, who closed like a rocket to get a neck in front of pacesetter Raging Grin.
Starting from Post 4 with Jody Jamieson in the race bike, Twin B Warrior settled onto the rail in fifth, but was out and rolling behind Lucks Acquisition before the halfway marker. Reaching the top of the stretch two and a half lengths behind Raging Grin, Jamieson hit the accelerator and Twin B Warrior sprinted home to the 1:58.3 victory. Raging Grin settled for second, with Mister Russ two lengths behind the dueling leaders in third.
Jeff Gillis trains Twin B Warrior for Mac Nichol of Burlington. With just two starts under his belt, both in Grassroots action, the Apaches Fame son has one win and one second for earnings of $18,000, and also leapt up the standings into the Grassroots post season with Monday’s triumph.
The top 16 point earners from the six race regular season will congregate at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Oct. 23 for two Grassroots Semifinals. The top four finishers from each Semifinal will then return to the Ottawa oval for their shot at the $100,000 Grassroots Championship on Nov. 1.
Western Fair Raceway hosts another Grassroots regular season finale on Saturday, Oct. 17, rolling out the red carpet for the lightning fast three-year-old pacing colts.
(OSS)
To view Monday’s harness racing results, click here.