Canada Cool scored her second Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots win of the season with an assertive effort on Wednesday evening that resulted in a new three-year-old trotting filly track record at Sudbury Downs
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In rein to Simon Allard, the Angus Hall lass blasted away from Post 3 and proceeded to throw down the gauntlet. Two lengths ahead at the :28.2 quarter, Canada Cool never allowed her peers to get any closer as she sprinted to a :57.4 half and a 1:27.3 three-quarters. Down the stretch the fan favourite had enough in reserve to widen the gap to three and one-quarter lengths and reached the wire in a track record 1:57.4. Raising The Bar held the former record of 1:59.2.
Rose Of Mali (David Dowling) picked up the second-place finisher’s share of the $24,000 Grassroots purse, six lengths ahead of third-place finisher Sooner Than Later (Aaron Byron).
Veteran trotting horseman Mark Steacy conditions Canada Cool for owners Katherine Steacy of Lansdowne, ON, David Reid of Glenburnie, ON, Dr. Malcolm Man Son Hing of Campbell River, BC and Joe Loring of Canmore, AB. The runner-up in last year’s Grassroots Championship, Canada Cool has experienced a few bumps in the road through the first half of her sophomore season. Third in the Grassroots season opener at Western Fair Raceway on May 19, the winner of $126,600 made a break in the June 10 event at Hiawatha Horse Park and finished seventh.
A second break in a June 20 overnight at Rideau Carleton Raceway forced Steacy to drop the filly into a qualifying event. On June 26, Canada Cool logged a steady 2:03.3 qualifying effort through extremely heavy going at Kawartha Downs, and that opportunity to regroup seems to have stood the filly in good stead as she has been solid through her last four starts, including a Grassroots victory on July 4 at Clinton Raceway. Wednesday’s 1:57.4 track record was also a personal best for Canada Cool.
Wilsonator maintained her flawless Grassroots record with a dominant performance in the third Grassroots skirmish. The Kadabra daughter and Scott Zeron led the field through fractions of :30.1, 1:01 and 1:30.4 before blasting home to a seven and three-quarter length triumph in 1:59.3. Pocket-sitter Dekorra (Bill O'Donnell) finished second, holding off J M Annie (Simon Allard) and This Flight Tonite (Stephen Byron).
Edward Wilson of Seagrave, ON and Michael Pozefsky of Gloversville, New York bred and own Wilsonator, who boasts a sophomore record of four wins and one third in nine starts for earnings of $60,080. Last season the Rob Fellows trainee competed at the Gold Series level, capturing the last Gold Final of the campaign, and led all two-year-old trotting fillies in earnings with $249,800. She started her sophomore campaign at the Gold level, winning her May 17 elimination at Mohawk Racetrack, but a seventh-place finish in the Gold Final convinced her connections to move down to the Grassroots program, and she has since posted commanding wins at Hiawatha, Clinton and Sudbury.
Wilsonator shares top spot in the three-year-old trotting filly point standings with Oaklea Sydney, who was also a winner at Sudbury on Wednesday. The Oaklea Julian miss and driver Scott Coulter left sharply from Post 5 and set the tempo through a :29.2 quarter, 1:00 half, and 1:30 three-quarters, rolling home unchallenged to a two length victory in 2:00.1. First Avenue (Donald Dupont) and Dry Tears (Stuart Sowerby) trailed Oaklea Sydney around the Sudbury oval and into the second and third-place finisher’s spots.
Jeffrey Nichol trains Oaklea Sydney for Scott Maracle of Brantford, ON, and has harnessed the filly eight times this season, resulting in five wins, one second and earnings of $45,125. With three Grassroots wins and one out of the money finish, Oaklea Sydney has a total of 150 points in the race for a post season berth. Only the top 16 point earners receive an invitation to the Grassroots Semifinal round.
The other Grassroots divisions went to Northern Gem and Scott Coulter in 2:00.4; Always A Favorite and Simon Allard in 2:01.2; and Harlequin Seelster and Stephen Byron in 2:01. The three-year-old trotting fillies travel to Grand River Raceway for their fifth Grassroots start on September 8.
On Saturday, August 21, Sudbury Downs will roll out the red carpet for the brilliant two-year-old pacing colts, who have been impressing fans across the province since their first appearances in qualifying action. The young pacers will make the trip to Ontario’s northernmost oval for their second Grassroots contest.
Sudbury also hosted a pair of $11,000 Preferreds -- one for pacers and one for trotters -- with Deuces And Jacks and Think Gold capturing their respective assignments.
Deuces And Jacks, the 9-2 third choice, converted from the pocket to win the pacing event in 1:55.1 for driver and part-owner Paul MacLean and trainer France MacLean. Glenview Livestock Ltd. of Wallenstein, ON also shares ownership of the six-year-old Million Dollar Cam-Fit N Fast gelding, who won by a length and a quarter over the popular late-closer Mr Coolie (Gerry Belanger). Stonebridge Prince (Simon Allard) was third.
Favourite Think Gold took the lead after the opening quarter and led the rest of the way to win the Preferred Trot in 1:59.1 for Scott Zeron and trainer Rob Fellows. Check Le Look (David Dowling) rallied off Bjs Fancys (Allan Hohner) cover to finish three-quarters of a length behind while Bjs Fancy was third. The six-year-old son of Mr Lavec-Think Gold is owned by Edward Wilson of Seagrave, ON and Michael Pozefsky of Gloversville, New York.
To view Wednesday's results, click here.
(With files from OSS)