After narrowly missing a payday in the Ontario Sires Stakes season opener in May, three-year-old pacing filly Dapple Apple will be looking for a different outcome from the advantageous rail position at Grand River Raceway
on Wednesday, June 15.
In her first full season of competition, Dapple Apple has accumulated three wins, one second and two thirds through 11 starts for owner-breeders JJS Stables of Grand Valley, and her connections would love to see her add a few Grassroots points to her resume on Wednesday.
“When she’s feeling good, she’s game, she likes to go,” said JJS Stables partner Jose Lemos. “And she’s a half-mile horse, she’s not real big.”
In the Grassroots season opener at Mohawk Racetrack’s seven-eighths mile oval on May 23, Dapple Apple missed a paycheque by just one-quarter length, finishing sixth. The filly then shipped to Georgian Downs for a June 4 overnight, where she finished a lacklustre sixth.
“In her last start at Georgian Downs she was little sick, and we didn’t realize that until afterwards,” noted Lemos. “She seems to be all right now. Hopefully she’s feeling better.”
William Reda trains the daughter of Oye Vay and Naomi Seelster, and will hand the lines over to driver Anthony MacDonald for Wednesday’s $24,000 contest. MacDonald and the filly will tackle a field of eight including City of London Pacing Series runner-up Cameron Lucky from Post 2 and Grassroots runner-up Chappies Girl from the trailing Post 9. In addition to the Grassroots purse money, all nine fillies will be vying for points toward the season ending Grassroots Championship.
The Lemos family has not had a competitor advance to the Grassroots Championship, and they would love to see one of their homebreds earn their way into the season finale. In addition to Dapple Apple, they are hoping to watch her Geartogear half-sister Bestulldotanite compete in the freshman ranks this summer.
“We’re hoping we have some two-year-olds,” said the owner-breeder. “She has a two-year-old sister that looks pretty good, we’re kind of hoping.”
A late bloomer, Dapple Apple did not make her first start until last December. The filly raced until mid-March — when Reda opted to give her a brief vacation — and then returned to action in early May with two prep races before the Grassroots season opener.
“We were just taking our time with her,” explained Lemos. “We just educated her, then gave her some time off and started back with her.
“She’s a very nice mare,” he added. “She’s quiet and nice to be around.”
Although work commitments keep Lemos from day-to-day visits with his 20-odd racehorses and broodmares, the Grand Valley resident will be on hand Wednesday night to see if Dapple Apple can take advantage of her post position in the seventh of eight Grassroots divisions.
Post time at Grand River Raceway is 7:10 p.m., with the three-year-old pacing fillies starring in Races 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 through 11.
To view Wednesday's entries, click on the following link: Wednesday Entries - Grand River Raceway.
(OSS)