Rideau Carleton Raceway fans will be treated to an outstanding line up of stakes action on Sunday evening as the Ottawa oval plays host to the $147,000 Frank Ryan Memorial for aged trotters, a $130,000 Gold Final for the two-year-old pacing fillies, and seven $24,000 Grassroots divisions for the two-year-old pacing colts
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YS Gold Star will line up behind the Rideau Carleton starting gate from Post 2 in the Gold Final, and trainer Daniel Martin is hoping the improved post will help the filly improve on the results she posted in the first two Gold Finals this season.
“She was not lucky in the first Gold Finals, so I am very happy about that, the second hole, that’s a good post,” says Martin, who conditions YS Gold Star for Yves Sarrazin of La Presentation, QC.
“I am very happy about the post I have, and very confident to collect a good cheque,” adds the horseman.
In the first two Gold Series events, YS Gold Star captured her elimination but then drew an outside post for the final. At Flamboro Downs on July 3 she finished fourth in spite of the outside Post 8 and some early interference, and on July 18 at Mohawk Racetrack she once again started from Post 8 and could only manage an eighth-place result.
In last week’s elimination at Rideau Carleton the daughter of Armbro Deuce and Kikin Up Dirt was a hard closing third from Post 6, finishing just half a length behind winner Classy Lane Rose, who will be hampered by Post 8 in her efforts to claim a Gold Final crown on Sunday.
A $13,000 purchase out of last fall’s Lexington Select Yearling Sale, YS Gold Star has tallied three wins and one third in six starts so far this season, banking $63,700. Martin says the young pacer is smart and, so long as she remains happy and healthy, expects her to continue to battle at the upper echelons of the provincial stakes program.
“She’s very smart, and she’s at the business, you know — when you ask her for something she do it. She’s a good filly,” he explains. “She’s a nice size, she raced good on any kind of track, and she has a big heart, so I really like her.”
Denis St. Pierre piloted YS Gold Star in last week’s elimination and will be back in the race bike for Sunday’s $130,000 skirmish.
In the second last Grassroots division, Paul MacDonell will steer Jettison after his second straight victory for trainer Mark Austin of Fergus and owners Dan Smith of London, Don Roberts of Dresden, Bill Boden of Strathroy and Jeff Roberts of Manotick. Ironically, Roberts, who has waited years to watch one of his stakes horses race at Rideau Carleton Raceway, will be in PEI this weekend watching two of his other horses compete in the historic Gold Cup and Saucer Trials at the Charlottetown Driving Park.
“I live in Ottawa and they’ve never brought a horse up here. I haven’t had a horse race in Ottawa ever, and he comes up this Sunday, and I’m going to be out there (PEI),” laments Roberts. “I guess that’s not very good, but that’s the way it is I guess.”
Jettison heads to Ottawa off a 1:57.1 victory in the Battle of Waterloo Consolation at Grand River Raceway on Aug. 1 and Roberts says the son of Jeremes Jet and Pizzacato seems to be improving with each start.
“He’s good now, and he’s going forward. Every race he gets better, so who knows what’s going to happen Sunday, but he’ll be there,” says the longtime owner. “He’s not done yet I don’t think, he’s just gets better every week.”
Jettison captured his Grassroots debut with a 2:00.3 effort at Woodstock Raceway on July 1, but made a break in his second provincial outing at Georgian Downs on July 12 and was placed back to ninth, so his connections would like to see him add a few more Grassroots points to his tally on Sunday. After his solid outing at Grand River on Aug. 1 the group briefly considered trying the Gold Series, but Roberts says they opted to stick with the Grassroots program this year.
“We decided to leave him in the Grassroots. We figured we had to commit one way or the other, either Golds or Grassroots, and Flamboro (Gold Series) was too close after the Battle of Waterloo to be racing him again, so we decided we’d just stick with the Grassroots unless something miraculous happens,” explains the owner. “I think we’ll stay in the program and hopefully get enough points to qualify for a Semifinal, that’s kind of the game plan right now.”
MacDonell will steer the youngster from Post 5 in Race 11, facing off against seven battle tested provincial contenders and one newcomer to the program. Among the Grassroots regulars are two former division winners, OK Ebury, who gets Post 6 for owner-trainer Luc Loyer of Gatineau, QC, and Machal Jordan, who will start from the trailing Post 9.
Guelph resident MacDonell will also be aboard his regular mount Define The World in the Frank Ryan Memorial Trot. The former OSS star will take on four rivals from Post 2 in the twelfth race.
Rideau Carleton Raceway calls its first race to post at 6:30 pm on Sunday night, with the Gold Final slated as Race 10, the Frank Ryan going postward as Race 12 and the two-year-old pacing colts engaging in their Grassroots battles in Races 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11 and 13.
To view the entries for Sunday’s stacked card of harness racing, click on the following link: Sunday Entries - Rideau Carleton Raceway.
For free, printable TrackIT program pages, please click the following link: Sunday Program Pages - Rideau Carleton Raceway.