Patti Omara is a second generation product of Cynthia and Myles McLennan’s breeding program, and the Arnprior residents are hoping the two-year-old pacing filly can enjoy the same sort of success in the Ontario Sires Stakes
program as her mother.
Dam Wipethatsmerkoff was a Grassroots winner at two, and finished third in the Grassroots Championship, propelling her to lifetime earnings of $109,220. Patti Omara has yet to collect her first provincial pay cheque, but the McLennan’s are hoping that will change at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday evening when the young pacer competes in the last $24,000 Grassroots division.
“Myles has more to do with them on a day-to-day basis than I do, and he’s liked that filly, basically since she hit the ground,” says Cynthia McLennan. “He’s really liked her; he liked her manners, the way she behaved, we’ve had no complaints at all.
“She was just a joy to have on the farm,” she adds.
Myles taught Patti Omara her basic lessons and then sent her to trainer Jason Gilchrist for further education. After spending the winter in daily tutorials, the filly made her debut in a pair of qualifiers at Rideau Carleton Raceway in June. In her first outing, on June 16, she finished second by a neck in 2:02.4, and over a sloppy oval on June 23 she finished second with a 2:00.4 effort.
Based on those two efforts Gilchrist opted to send the Lis Mara daughter to Hiawatha Horse Park for the Grassroots season opener. The novice pacer made an error behind the gate, and although she recovered well, she finished sixth, one-quarter length out of the top five.
In this week’s Grassroots test Iroquois resident Gilchrist will steer Patti Omara from Post 4 in the eleventh race and her connections are hoping she can pace her way into a share of the provincial purse.
“We’re looking forward to going there to see her race,” notes McLennan. “My husband’s been down, he trained her. And he was very pleased with what he experienced that day, so to speak, and so we’re looking forward to seeing her on Sunday.”
Among the fillies Patti Omara will face Sunday are three fillies who earned their first provincial pay cheques at Hiawatha Horse Park on June 30, three newcomers to the provincial stakes scene, and one filly that started her career at the Gold Series level. All eight fillies will be looking to accumulate points toward a berth in the Grassroots post season in late September.
The McLennan’s would love to see Patti Omara earn a few points and start down the path that led her mother to a berth in the Grassroots Championship, but no matter her result on Sunday they are confident she will have an opportunity to succeed.
“You’re always hopeful,” says McLennan. “Jason and Louis (Gilchrist) they do a very good job for us, we’re very pleased with them and how they handle their horses. They’re very attentive but they don’t push them until they’re ready, they’re very patient. We’re very comfortable sending our younger horses with Jason and Louis.”
Patti Omara and her two-year-old pacing filly peers will battle in Races 2, 5, 8 and 11 on Sunday, with Rideau Carleton Raceway’s first race rolling in behind the starting gate at 6:30 p.m.
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To view entries for Sunday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Sunday Entries – Rideau Carleton Raceway.