After opening the Autumn Series for young Ontario-sired trotters with a maiden-breaking victory, Nickel And Dime rebounded from a miscue in round two to take the $22,800 final on Saturday night, Oct. 26 at Flamboro Downs.
Nickel And Dime, one of three two-year-olds in the field scratched down to six, left from post five and trotted to the top through the first turn with trainer/driver Matt Bax guiding him through fractions of :30.2, 1:01.2 and 1:31.4 en route to the victory in 2:01.1, knocking three-fifths of a second off his lifetime mark.
As Nickel And Dime started to step away from the field down the backstretch the final time, Major Bank and Travis Henry swept three-wide in pursuit but could get no closer than 1-1/4 lengths by the wire. Favourite Gritty Hanover, another two-year-old and the second leg winner, closed well from the backfield for Colin Kelly to finish third. Nickel And Dime paid $8 to win as the 3-1 third choice to that pair.
This Autumn Series event was for Ontario-sired two and three-year-olds that were non-winners of $10,000 lifetime as of Sept. 30.
Nickel And Dime, who just missed in the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Consolation prior to the series, boosted his bankroll to $25,355 with his second win in 10 starts for Bax Stable of Campbellville, Ont., and Marshall Bax of Hamilton, Ont. The homebred son of Resolve out of Parkhill Nocredit is a full sibling to the Bax-campaigned multiple Grassroots winner Birthday Money.
R Royal Port doubled up in the weekly $11,000 Preferred Trot with a wire-to-wire victory in 1:56.4. Scott Coulter drove the five-year-old Archangel-World Class Izzy gelding to his 12th win of the season -- the second-most by a trotter in North America -- for trainer Gerard Demers and owner La Ferme Tag Inc. of Papineauville, Que. Sent postward as the 4-5 favourite, R Royal Port was two lengths the best over Dealin With Dewey (Mario Baillargeon) and Mercutio (Colin Kelly).
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Flamboro Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)