Picking up where the freshmen left off last night, Ontario’s talented three-year-old trotters and pacers battled tooth and nail in eight $30,000 Grassroots Semifinals at Western Fair Raceway on Saturday
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Parkhill, Ont. resident Dan McCann capped off an outstanding weekend with an appearance in the winner’s circle with his homebred pacing filly MC Taylor. Starting from Post 3, trainer Randy Fritz had the filly positioned third through a :28 first quarter clocked by Oceans Motion (Anthony MacDonald). As Oceans Motion paced on toward the :57.2 half, Fritz tipped MC Taylor to the outside and the Camluck miss sat out there through the 1:26.1 three-quarters.
As the field squared up in the stretch, Fritz hit the accelerator and MC Taylor sprinted off to a one and one-quarter length victory in 1:55.3. Pocket Sitter Lucky Jeans (Mike Saftic) got up for second, edging out Oceans Motion and hard closing favourite Warrawee Lil (Scott Zeron).
McCann bred and owns MC Taylor with Dale Regier of Parkhill and named her after his niece Taylor. Through 23 starts this season the talented filly has accumulated nine wins, two seconds, four thirds and earnings of $121,740, recording her 1:52 personal best in an overnight event at Mohawk Racetrack on Aug. 31.
The victory capped off a near perfect week for McCann, who caught a Montreal Canadiens home game on Wednesday, returned home in time to see his two-year-old trotting colts Starlitestarbrite and Major Herbie advance out of their Semifinals last night, and then had his picture taken in the Western Fair winner’s circle on Saturday.
“I’m just fortunate to have them with some good horsemen who do a good job,” said McCann, who shares ownership of Starlitestarbrite with Arthur, Ont. resident Trevor Henry and of Major Herbie with the Arthur-based Henry Stable.
The other pacing filly division featured a thrilling finish that saw the top four finishers cross the wire as a team. After a close assessment the victory was awarded to pocket-sitter All Chocolate, who got a neck in front of pacesetter Manvers Short Cut (J.R. Plante). Just a half length back was fan favourite Putnam Mackenzie (Robert Shepherd), bred and owned by Putnam Training Centre Ltd. of Mossley and Jamie Bardoel of London, and she was only half a length ahead of fourth-place finisher Modern Beauty (Doug McNair).
Scott Zeron engineered All Chocolate’s 1:55.4 victory for trainer Duncan Brewer and owners Kelsam Stables of Binbrook, Ont. Through 26 starts this season the Astreos miss boasts a record of five wins, five seconds, four thirds and earnings of $91,612.
The win was one of three that 21-year-old Zeron would record in Grassroots action on Saturday. The Oakville, Ont. resident made his first appearance in the winner’s circle with trotting gelding Lexis D J, a horse he spent all week looking forward to driving.
“Shane Arsenault’s horses are both heavy, heavy morning line favourites, but they’re also trotters,” said Zeron before the Semifinals got under way. “I’m really looking forward to driving that Lexis D J. He’s a nice horse.”
Things went according to plan with Lexis D J, as the Amigo Hall son led from gate to wire, reaching the finish two lengths ahead of Santo Domingo (Dave Walle) and Rudy Rocks (J.R. Plante), who drew in off the also eligible list when Rehab Mountain was scratched, and well up on fourth-place finisher Incredible Kadabra (Stephen Byron) in a clocking of 1:59.2. Unfortunately, the other trotter trained by Shane Arsenault and owned by his father Louis Arsenault of Freelton, Ont. was two-year-old trotting colt Mr Joe Sixpack, who made an early break in his Semifinal on Friday evening and finished fifth.
Through 17 starts Lexis D J has eight wins, one second and one third and boosted his sophomore earnings to $81,630 with his Semifinal triumph.
Veteran horseman Keith Oliver also employed a front-end strategy to earn fan choice Boogie Woogie the other trotting colt Semifinal trophy. The Ken Warkentin son hit the wire one length ahead of Northern Spark (Scott Coulter) and Watkins (Mike Saftic), with Fuel Cell (Anthony MacDonald) rounding out the top four. He stopped the clock in 1:58.4, shaving one-fifth of a second off Gutsy Decision's three-year-old trotting track record for geldings and missing the overall male record held by Breewood Gringo by four-fifths of a second.
Oliver, who makes his home in Lynden, Ont., owns, trains and drives Boogie Woogie, who boasts an impressive record of eight wins and three seconds in 15 starts this season.
Zeron made his third appearance in front of the Western Fair photographer with three-year-old trotting filly favourite Bertos Angel, who was an effortless gate-to-wire winner for trainer Rob Fellows and owners John Wagner of Fairfax, Virginia and Scott Woogen of Mechanicsville, Virgina.
Halting the teletimer at 1:59, Bertos Angel was trailed across the finish by “Mr. OSS” Dave Wall and Boots N Hearts. The Komoka, Ont. resident owns Boots N Hearts and entrusts her daily care to his son, trainer Dean Wall of Strathroy, Ont. The pair held off a hard closing Sooner Than Later (Trevor Ritchie) and Isthatallyagot (Anthony MacDonald) came up the outside to be fourth.
Division point leader Canada Cool made winning her Semifinal look like a jog in the park, trotting under the wire three lengths ahead of Scottish Starlet (scott Coulter) in 1:58. Keystone Ballerina (Robert Shepherd) and First Avenue (Don Dupont) rounded out the starters for the sophomore trotting filly final.
Simon Allard piloted Canada Cool to her fifth win of the season for trainer Mark Steacy and owners Katherine Steacy of Lansdowne, Ont., David Reid of Glenburnie, Ont, Dr. Malcolm Man Son Hing of Campbell River, B.C. and Joe Loring of Canmore, Alta. So far the Angus Hall lass has matched the efforts she put forward in her freshman season — leading the division in points and winning her Semifinal — now she will be looking to improve on the second-place result she posted in last year’s Championship.
The three-year-old pacing colts closed out the evening with two spectacular efforts from the outside of the starting gate. Trainer-driver Joe Hudon wrapped his phenomenal weekend with a 1:54.2 score with division point leader This Is Wyatt. The pair started from Post 6, sat fourth through most of the mile and then stepped to the outside heading for the three-quarter marker. Matching steps with and pacesetter Wellthereyougo (Trevor Henry) around the final turn This Is Wyatt closed sharply to earn the one length victory.
Fan favourite Wellthereyougo settled for second, and a pair of Western Maverick sons bred by Lucan, Ont. nursery Seelster Farms rounded out the top four, with Sniper Seelster (Robert Shepherd) edging out Encore Seelster (Doug McNair) for third.
Acton, Ont. residents Joe and Karen Hudon bred and own This Is Wyatt, who boosted his record to six wins, four seconds, five thirds and $103,370 through 22 sophomore starts. The couple started five horses in Grassroots Semifinals, four on Friday and one on Saturday, and all five advanced to their respective finals.
The last Semifinal of the evening saw What The Sheik roar away from the outside Post 7 and drop into second spot behind fan favourite Luckamotion (Trevor Henry). Driver Doug McNair and the Western Terror son stalked Luckamotion through fractions of :27.2, :57.1 and 1:25.1 and then rocketed down the stretch to a three-quarter length victory in 1:54.2.
Good Bad Lucky (Robert Shepherd) also closed well to finish second, Ise The By Boy (Scott Zeron) used a first over trip to secure third spot, and Luckamotion hung on to be fourth.
Hillsburgh, Ont. resident Jeff Gillis trains What The Sheik for John Carver of Rapids City, Illinois, Kentuckiana Racing Stable of Lexington, Kentucky and Ronald Michelon of Northbrook, Illinois. In 20 starts the colt has nine wins, four seconds and three thirds for earnings of $115,940.
The top four finishers from each three-year-old Semifinal will now join their two-year-old counterparts in preparing for the Grassroots season finale next Saturday, Oct. 23 at Western Fair Raceway. A total of $800,000 will be up for grabs in eight finals for the brightest trotters and pacers in the province.
To view Saturday's results, click here.
(With files from OSS)