Driver Brad Forward and trainer Gerard Demers teamed up to capture two Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots events at Grand River Raceway on Friday, July 19.
The horsemen, both from Cambridge, kicked off their winning weekend with Tag Up And Go in the fourth $12,857 division. Forward tucked the three-year-old trotting colt in behind pacesetter Euro Man through the opening stages of the mile and then stepped out at the half to take control and cruise home to an impressive seven and one-quarter length win in 1:58.1.
Euro Man settled for second and Photo Mass was two more lengths back in third for trainer Carl Jamieson of Rockwood and his partner Thomas Kyron of Toronto.
The clocking was a new personal best for Tag Up And Go, who is trained by Demers for Lise Darveau of Cambridge and Andre Hebert of Papineauville, QC. The Angus Hall gelding was also a winner in the July 1 Grassroots event at Clinton Raceway and currently sits second in the division point standings with three events remaining.
Two races later Forward and Demers were back in the winner’s circle with division leader Two Doors Down, who sailed along on the front end to a one length score in 2:00. Doubledown Gass and Wanna Be Like Sim rounded out the top three.
Robert Montgomery of Carp owns In Conchnito gelding Two Doors Down, who is flawless through three Grassroots starts for a point tally of 150.
Olly Warrawee posted a 2:00.2 victory to kick off Friday’s Grassroots action for the tandem of Trevor Henry and Richard Moreau. The son of Kadabra-Silhouette Dream held on to win by a half-length margin over Green Strike, with third prize going to Musclescorleone.
Furious Farms, Ecurie JGV Enrg, Jean Mondoux and Fred Brayford share ownership on the gelding who won for the first time in his career. After going unraced as a rookie, the trotter now owns a 1-4-0 record from just eight starts. He’s banked just over $16,000 to date.
Next To Go turned a two-hole trip into a 2:00.1 decision in the next division. Bruce Richardson carved out the perfect trip for the son of Southfork-Daphne Hall, who used a :30.1 final frame to win by 1-1/2 lengths over Mr Vs Victory, with Classic Kazimir a distant third in the $12,857 contest.
Trainer Benoit Hebert shares ownership on the gelding with Elodie Hebert of Papineauville, QC, and together they’ve watched the sophomore really put it together this season. After going 0-for-4 in his rookie campaign, Next To Go has assembled a 5-1-1 record in 10 starts this season. He’s managed to stash away close to $19,000 in lifetime earnings.
Hadrien Duharas got away slowly but finished quickly to take home the hardware in the third division for driver Scott Young. The Eric Cote trainee eventually latched onto a second-over trip – a trip that eventually led to a 1:59.4 score by a length. Sir William was next best, with Ale Ale Jandro rounding out the top three finishers.
Sent off at odds of 8-1, the homebred son of Thunder Road-Athena Duharas improved this year’s record to 2-0-1 from three tries for owner/breeder Haras De L Estrie Inc of Dunham, QC. It was a career-best performance for the gelding, who upped his cash stash to $13,057 in the process.
Super Duke went wire-to-wire for driver Scott Coulter in his OSS Grassroots assignment. The son of Duke Of York-Millie Wonka sliced out splits of :29, :58.4 and 1:28.4 before scooting home in :30.3 to win by 1-3/4 lengths over Random Dynasty in 1:59.2. Loco Caballo rallied to finish third.
Bill James trains the gelding for W G James Stables Ltd of Blackstock along with Paul & Carol Secord of Bowmanville, ON. It was the second win of the season and the third triumph to date for the homebred. The lion’s share of the purse lifted his earnings to $44,670.
Muscle On Broadway capped off the OSS action with a 2:00 triumph in the final division. The son of Muscle Mass-Broadway Musical enjoyed a two-hole ride for the opening half of the contest, but he motored to the lead in the third quarter and held on to win by three-quarters of a length over Eat Pray Trot. Pretty Edgy was a distant third.
Ross Battin mapped out the winning trip for the Mike Keeling pupil, who was sent off at odds of 6-1. P C Wellwood Enterprises Inc of Cambridge and Steve Organ of Aurora, ON own the sophomore who broke into the win column for the first time in his career. He now owns a 1-3-2 record from 14 trips to the track, and he’s put away more than $30,000 in earnings along the way.
The three-year-old trotting colts make their fourth Grassroots start at Georgian Downs on Aug. 13, while Ontario Sires Stakes excitement continues at Grand River Raceway on Monday, July 22 with Gold Series action for the two-year-old trotting colts.
(With files from the OSS)
To view results for Friday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Friday Results – Grand River Raceway.