On Wednesday night, two-year-old trotting colts will contest their third Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots event of the season and they have big horse shoes to fill.
Exactly one year ago to the day a rookie colt by the name of Harper Blue Chip competed in a Grassroots event at Georgian Downs where he finished a very close second for trainer Mark Steacy and owners Landmark 6 Racing Stable of Kingston, David McDonald of Cornwall, David Reid of Glenburnie ad George Judson of Athens, Ontario.
This Saturday Harper Blue Chip is the only Ontario-sired colt to be competing in the most prestigious North American trotting race, the $1 million Hambletonian, at the Meadowlands.
At a news conference today Harper Blue Chip drew post nine and will have Brian Sears in the bike. Harper Blue Chip is a son of Steacy’s former stable star Majestic Son, the 2006 Canadian Horse of the Year. Another winner of that coveted award, in 1994, Emilie Cas El, is also represented in the race, as her 10th foal, the very talented Trixton, is part of the powerful Jimmy Takter entry in the race.
Harper Blue Chip hasn’t raced in an OSS event yet this season. He finished second and third in the elim and final of the Goodtimes, to Trixton. He then went to Pocono Downs where he finished second to Father Patrick (another Hambletonian starter for Takter) in the Beal elimination and was fourth in the final timed in 1:51.3.
He returned to Ontario to compete in the Canadian Breeders Championship at Mohawk, winning the elimination and final, both by three lengths, in 1:54.4 and 1:55.2 respectively. So he goes into the Hambletonian riding a two-race winning streak.
One reason Steacy was attracted to Harper Blue Chip at the Harrisburg Sale in 2012, where he sold for $40,000, was because he reminded him of his sire.
“I could see similarities in a few respects to what his father had. I thought this one was probably bred better than most Majestic Sons on the mother’s side. That’s what Majestic Son has always lacked; he’s never bred these kinds of mares before.
“They’re both very smart horses,” Steacy said. “Majestic Son was just a little more than ordinary training to get to the races, but he always did it right. Just as Majestic Son did, this guy seems to be getting better with every start. I think Majestic Son showed just a little more raw speed than this one does at this point.”
There are seven $18,000 Grassroots divisions tomorrow night at Grand River. Three of the colts competing are also by Majestic Son. In the second race, Freddie has post three, the eighth race sees Olympic Son from the rail, and the ninth race finds Mandeville, already an OSS Grassroots winner this year, with post one.
The Grassroots rookies are featured in races one, two, four, five, six, eight and nine at Grand River Wednesday night.
(OSS)
To view entries for Wednesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Wednesday Entries – Grand River Raceway.