Saturday evening’s Ontario Sires Stakes event at Georgian Downs saw all five divisions captured by freshman trotting colts who had never won a Gold Series contest.
After struggling through the first two legs of the Gold Series, Deweykeepumnwhy dropped down to the Grassroots in late July and picked up a pair of victories. Those confidence boosters paid off on Saturday as the gelding battled to a neck victory in the fourth Gold Series split, stopping the Georgian Downs teletimer at 1:57.4.
Ronald Parsons conditions Deweykeepumnwhy for Norah Parks of New Lowell, and Mario Baillargeon engineered the Deweycheatumnhowe son’s third straight victory
Massacaia and driver Trevor Henry clocked the quickest mile of the five $42,000 Gold divisions, hitting the wire one and one-quarter lengths on top in 1:57.2. The Muscle Mass son also used the Grassroots program as a springboard to success at the Gold level. After making breaks in the first two Gold Series events, Massacaia came into Saturday’s event off an Aug. 8 win in the Grassroots program at Mohawk Racetrack.
Richard Moreau trains Massacaia for Gestion Jean Yves Blais of Montreal, Que. The colt now has two wins through four starts.
With Mid-Summer Challenge winner Muscle Matters scratched out of the third division due to sickness, Valorscross seized the opportunity to score his first lifetime win, battling up the outside to a 1:58.2 clocking for owner, trainer and driver Eddie Green of Ohsweken.
The other two Gold Series divisions were captured by Entranced and Mike Saftic in 1:57.3 for trainer Garth Gordon and Massive Muscles, driven by Jean Bernard Renaud for trainer Julie Walker, in 1:58.2.
The two-year-old trotting colts make their fifth and final regular season Gold Series start at Mohawk Racetrack on Sept. 20.
Ontario Sires Stakes racing returns to Georgian Downs on Tuesday, Aug. 20 when the three-year-old pacing fillies square off in their fourth Grassroots test.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Georgian Downs.
(With files from OSS)