In a late drive to the wire, Rbstenacious T out-paced favourite P L Ozzy for a 19-1 upset in the $14,500 Preferred for male pacers at Grand River Raceway on Friday night, July 24.
Driven by Jason Ryan for trainer Jodie Cullen, Rbstenacious T moved from seventh into the outer flow as the early fractions went in :26 and :54.3 then followed cover third-over, tracking the favoured P L Ozzy (Brady Galliers) with Harborlite Ambrose (Austin Sorrie) leading the second tier to three-quarters in 1:23.1. As the front-striding Stormalong (Brett MacDonald) started to fade in the final turn, Harborlite Ambrose struck the lead but company was coming as P L Ozzy and Rbstenacious T fanned wide for the stretch drive. That outside pair pulled ahead full of late pace, with Rbstenacious T surging ahead of the 1-2 bettors' choice by a neck at the wire in 1:51.2. Harborlite Ambrose finished 2-1/4 lengths behind in third.
A four-year-old son of Freaky Feet Pete-Aunt Marlene, Rbstenacious T earned his first Grand River win, matching his lifetime mark taken at Hoosier Park last summer. The victory was his 10th overall this year in 23 starts for current owners Ron and Travis Cullen of Dundas, Ont., and Deborah Jyl McLeod of Edmonton, Alta.
Rbstenacious T's backers were rewarded with a $40.50 win payout.
Grand River's leading driver Samuel Fillion had a five-win Friday night, which was bookended by victories with Shimmering Hanover, a stakes-winning trotting filly trained by Luc Blais who scored in 1:54.4, and four-year-old pacing mare Gucci Seelster, a recent claim for the Jamie Copley stable who prevailed in a neck decision in 1:53.2 for her fourth straight win.
Fillion swept the first four of 11 races, adding wins with trainer Gino Toscani's trotting filly Smorgastrata, who broke her maiden in 1:58.2; veteran pacer Ideal Perception, who crossed the $500,000 career mark with a 1:53.3 triumph for the Anthony Beaton barn; and trainer Jean-Francois Maguire's trotting filly Angelina Duharas in a 1:59.1 mile.
Fillion posted a a career-year in 2025 when he drove winners of 363 races -- tied for second-most in the nation -- and $2.49 million in purses. In his fifth straight seven-figure season, his 195 wins so far in 2026 rank third-best in Canada.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Grand River Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada)