Rivest Discusses Anahar Chase

Anahar Chase heads into Friday’s Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots finale sitting in seventh spot in the three-year-old trotting colt division standings, so having drawn Post 7 on the Flamboro Downs half-miler is not causing trainer Michel Rivest to lose any sleep

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With 113 points earned in his first five Grassroots appearances, Anahar Chase should advance to the Grassroots Semifinal without picking up any additional points on Friday. The son of Oaklea Julian faces a talent-laden field in the first $24,000 division, which includes second-ranked Krakatoa from Post 6, tenth-ranked Lexis D J from Post 5 and 14th-ranked Tymal Tyme from Post 4, but Rivest is hoping the trotter can find a way to pick up one last regular season pay cheque.

“He drew a bad position, but it might work out,” said the resident of Lynden, Ont. “He’s not too good leaving, but he’ll grind ‘er out.”

Anahar Chase has ground out two wins, one fourth and one fifth in Grassroots action this summer, not bad for a horse that could not find the winner’s circle as a two-year-old.

“He was immature as a two-year-old,” Rivest explained. “He trained down good last winter. He was a little slow starting, but then he caught on.

“He’s been racing good this year,” the trainer added.

In 16 sophomore starts, Anahar Chase has accumulated a total of four wins, two seconds and three thirds for earnings of $68,054. In addition to his Grassroots trophies, the gelding captured his Dream Of Glory elimination at Hanover Raceway on July 24 and then finished second to Krakatoa in the $100,000 final one week later.

Rivest shares ownership on the consistent youngster with Denis Rivest of Palgrave, Ont. and Gary Silliphant of Simcoe, Ont., and the trainer has said that the partners plan to race Anahar Chase for as long as possible.

“He’s not for sale. We’ll race him for as long as we can,” said the horseman. “He’s a nice little horse, just a pet.”

Robert Jenkins, Jr. will steer Anahar Chase on Friday, as he will be subbing for the vacationing Stuart Sowerby. Jenkins was Anahar Chase’s regular reinsman last season. He steered the gelding to a pair of third-place finishes and one fifth in four Grassroots starts, and in preparation for Friday’s test, the resident of Cambridge, Ont. schooled Anahar Chase last Friday, October 1.

“He’s pretty flexible, he’ll race from anywhere,” Rivest noted about the gelding’s racing style. “He likes the smaller track.”

That preference should serve Anahar Chase well in the October 16 Grassroots Semifinals, where he will meet seven other colts from among the top 16 point earners. The first four finishers from each $30,000 Semifinal will earn a return invitation to Western Fair Raceway for the October 23 Grassroots Championship, worth $100,000.

The three-year-old trotting colts will wage their last regular season Grassroots battle in Races 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8 on Friday evening, with Flamboro Downs sending the first race into the starter’s hands at 6:00 p.m.

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(OSS)