A total of seven elimination dashes on Monday (July 30) decided the finalists for Grand River Raceway’s feature races on its 28th Industry Day event.
Grand River's Monday card featured three eliminations for the Battle of Waterloo, with the top three from each division advancing to next Monday's $262,000 final on Monday, Aug. 6, and four elims for Battle of the Belles where fillies had to finish no worse than second in order to be guaranteed a spot in the $163,840 final.
Sent the 1-9 favourite, Bettors Wish ranged first over towards pacesetter Da Delightful and swept to the front in the homestretch to win the first $15,000 "Waterloo" elimination in 1:54.3.
Driver Paul MacDonell placed the Chantal Mitchell trainee fourth while Da Delightful led pocket-sitter Sports Teen through a :28.1 opening quarter. Bettors Wish tipped first over moving by the grandstand first time, drawing within a length of the lead through a :57.3 clocking.
Bettors Wish paced alongside Da Delightful through the backstretch. Century Fury gapped cover from second over, leaving an opening for Sports Teen to angle from the rail while Da Delightful tried to hold command by three-quarters in 1:25.2. Into the stretch Bettors Wish promptly sprinted clear of Da Delightful, who held on to finish third, while Sports Teen pursued the top from second.
Owned by Chris Ryder and Fair Island Farm Inc., Bettors Wish, by Bettors Delight from the Western Ideal mare Lifetime Star, won his third race in four starts, earning $72,060. He paid $2.10 to win.
Better Moonon Over led the mile and withstood a barrage of foes at three-quarters to kick clear a winner in the second Waterloo elim, timed in 1:55.1.
On top through a :27.4 opening quarter, Better Moonon Over faced minor pressure from Village Champ flushed first over heading to the half, a :58.2 clocking. Village Champ parked into the backstretch, forcing Sports Hero three wide moving to three-quarters while Better Moonon Over still led one-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:26.3. The Blake MacIntosh trainee cut the corner into the lane and held firm on the lead with Prestige Seelster, off a pocket trip, finished second and Twin B Watching shot through the passing lane for third.
Chris Christoforou piloted Better Moonon Over ($9.60) for owners Kim and Dan Sargeant. The Betterthancheddar gelding from the Western Hanover mare Ingrid Hanover won his second race in four starts, compiling $19,905 in earnings.
Driver Trevor Henry sent 1-2 favourite Bronx Seelster for the front and maintained control through the wire to win the final Waterloo elimination in 1:55.1.
Wager On Me left for the top from post four while Bronx Seelster pushed out and floated for position rounding the first turn. Bronx Seelster cleared command by the quarter in :27.2 as Keystone Prestige flushed first over heading to the stretch first time. Keystone Prestige drew to the pacesetter's wheel as the tempo slowed to the half, timed in :58.1.
Keystone Prestige parked wide of Wager On Me in the pocket moving to the backstretch while Prairie Midnight, from second over, kicked three wide to three-quarters, which Bronx Seelster passed in 1:27.1 one-and-a-half lengths ahead of his competition. Bronx Seelster strolled into the stretch as Wager On Me chased in second and Fast N First, cutting the corner, snagged third.
Bronx Seelster won his third race in five starts, earning $94,000 for owner Capers 3 Stable. Trevor Henry drove the Wayne McGean trainee by Big Jim, from the Bettors Delight mare Tarport Baccarat, and paid $3.00 to win.
Brushing to the top past the quarter, Quebec Blue Chip paced unchallenged on the front and opened a bigger margin in the stretch to win the first $10,000 elimination for the "Belles" in 1:55.4.
Windsong Parisian swept to the top from post four with Quebec Blue Chip sitting the pocket moving to the opening quarter. Driver Jody Jamieson pulled the Dave Menary trainee from second and took the top following a :28.1 opening quarter. She held control under no pressure through a :58.3 half while Jessicas Legacy matched strides first over with Windsong Parisian on the second circuit.
Quebec Blue Chip led a strung-out field to three-quarters, passing that marker in 1:27.3 as Windsong Parisian chased in a widening pocket and Rella Tivity began to close from third. Rella Tivity rallied wide of Windsong Parisian as the two chased Quebec Blue Chip in the stretch, with the former taking second and the latter relegated to third.
By Sportswriter out of the Bettors Delight mare Hazes Zure Bet, Quebec Blue Chip won her second race in four starts, earning $36,968 for owners Menary Racing Inc., Micheal Guerriero, Kenneth Ewan and Bruce Norris. She paid $3.40 to win.
With 8/5 favourite Whitehaven Beach breaking at the start, Ideation Hanover shot to the lead and held command wire to wire in the second Belles elim in 1:55.
The Bettors Delight filly took the lead rounding the first turn while Village Joules sat the pocket. Ideation Hanover led through a :27.3 opening quarter as Green Point began her bid first over moving into the stretch first time. Green Point marched to the pacesetter's wheel by the half in :57 but lost ground into the turn and in the backside as Ideation Hanover accelerated the three-quarters.
By the third-quarter in 1:25.3, Ideation Hanover led pocket-sitter Village Joules around the final turn. Green Point tucked towards the rail in third and chased the leader through the stretch, settling for third behind Village Joules holding second.
Dave Menary conditions Ideation Hanover for owners Menary Racing Inc., Michael Guerriero and Alan Alber. Jody Jamieson steered the filly out of the Western Ideal mare Ideal Weather to her first win career and paid $12.40 to win.
Clearly Better stormed through the center of the stretch to best Shesonehotwriter in 1:55.4 to win the final Belles elim.
Summer Charm swooped towards the lead with Free Exchange to her left flank clearing command moving to the quarter. By the first marker in :28.1, Summer Charm took control. Shesonehotwriter, from fourth, tipped first over and rushed to the lead heading to the half, taking over while towing 7/5 favourite Bens Jenna into contention in :57.4.
Shesonehotwriter endured first-over pressure from Bens Jenna in the backstretch as the field stalled their pursuit towards three-quarters. Clearly Better, sitting sixth, had room to edge off the rail and towards the center of the track by three-quarters in 1:26.1 before stampeding to the front in the final strides over Shesonehotwriter towards the inside in second. Summer Charm, sitting the pocket, finished third.
Paying $22.30 to win, Clearly Better, owned by Hutt Racing Stable, trainer Blake MacIntosh and Stuart McIntosh won her first race from four starts career. Jonathan Drury steered the filly by Betterthancheddar from the Artsplace mare Glass Maker.
Powerful Chris rushed first over as the odds-on favourite to nail pacesetter Kylie Seelster on the line in the fourth and final Belles elim, winning in 1:55.1.
The John Pentland-trained daughter by Betterthancheddar sat fourth at the quarter while Kylie Seelster controlled the pace in :28.2. Driver Bob McClure then tipped Powerful Chris to track the cover of Cafe Society heading to the half but swiftly circled three wide and drew within a half-length of the lead through a :58.3 clocking.
Kylie Seelster continued on the lead of a length pacing to three-quarters with Powerful Chris applying pressure. Following the 1:26.2 clocking, Powerful Chris came a head away from the lead and edged a neck in front of Kylie Seelster to the wire. Blossom Onthebeach, sitting the pocket, finished third.
Owned by John Pentland, Jack Darling Stables Ltd. and Syllabus Stables, Powerful Chris paid $2.80 to win. The filly from the Western Hanover mare Cell Power is undefeated in three starts, earning $48,925.
Below are the fields for the finals, going on the Industry Day program:
$262,000 Battle Of Waterloo
Post Position-Name-Driver-Trainer
1-Prestige Seelster-Bob McClure-Marcel Barrieau
2-Twin B Watching-Jody Jamieson-David Menary
3-Wager On Me-Jody Jamieson-Carl Jamieson
4-Sports Teen-Louis Philippe Roy-Paul Reid
5-DA Delightful-Chris Christoforou-Blake MacIntosh
6-Bettors Wish-Paul MacDonell-Chantal Mitchell
7-Better Moonon Over-Chris Christoforou-Blake MacIntosh
8-Fast N First-James MacDonald-Blake MacIntosh
9-Bronx Seelster-Trevor Henry-Wayne McGean
$163,840 Battle Of The Belles
Post Position-Name-Driver-Trainer
1-Shesonehotwriter-Sylvain Filion-Eric Adams
2-Kylie Seelster-Doug McNair-Gregg McNair
3-Quebec Blue Chip-Jody Jamieson-David Menary
4-Green Point-Doug McNair-Eric Adams
5-Ideation Hanover-Jody Jamieson-David Menary
6-Rella Tivity-Jonathan Drury-Andrew McCabe
7-Clearly Better-Jonathan Drury-Blake MacIntosh
8-Powerful Chris-Bob McClure-John Pentland
9-Village Joules-Sylvain Filion-Anthony Beaton
To view Monday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Monday Results - Grand River Raceway