Power And Grace ($12.00) and American Wiggle ($4.60) were the big stars on Wednesday night (July 22) at Grand River Raceway, capturing the night's co-featured $11,500 Preferred events on their respective gaits.
In the Preferred 2-3 Handicap Trot, Power And Grace and driver Brett MacDonald used the entire first turn to clear Monopoly (Robert Shepherd) and Scene A Magician (Greg Dustin), and then travelled unchallenged through early splits of :28.1 and :57.1. On the backstretch, the five-year-old Holiday Road mare dismissed of a mild first-over challenge from lukewarm 7-2 favourite Kameran Hanover (Jason Ryan) in a :29 third sectional before facing her main danger in the stretch. Cool Muscle (Scott Coulter), who stalked second-over cover through the middle half, fanned three-wide turning for home and lifted boldly down the outside, but Power And Grace found the line in time, winning by a driven head in 1:57.2. Silverlode (Scott Young) rallied from deeper back to finish third.
Ronald MacDonald trains 20-time winner Power And Grace for Lormer McClure.
American Wiggle had all the answers in the Preferred 2 Pace, scoring a pillar-to-post 1:54.1 win in line to Scott Young. The six-year-old American Ideal gelding protected the pole and rated a :57.2 half before being nudged along by Toot Toot N (Ed Hensley) on the second circuit. After picking up the pace to three-quarters in 1:25.4, American Wiggle shrugged off Toot Toot N's challenge and burst clear in the final sixteenth for a two-length win. Racemup (Nick Steward) rode the pocket to runner-up honours while Toot Toot N held third.
Trainer Daniel Martin co-owns American Wiggle, now a 21-time winner, with Gaston Bibeau.
Earlier on the card, Mossies Art ($18.60) and Jason Ryan sprang an 8-1 upset in the $8,500 Preferred 3 Pace, riding the pocket to collar odds-on favourite Veneno (Paul Davies) by a half length in 1:55.3. James McConnell owns and trains the five-year-old Pet Rock gelding.
To view Wednesday's full results, click the following link: Wednesday Results – Grand River Raceway.