Ontario’s exceptionally talented three-year-old pacing colts converge on Kawartha Downs this Saturday, August 22 for the fourth Grassroots event of their season, and trainer Paul Hutchinson is viewing the first $24,000 division as
a testing ground for Cashedout.
“It’s a testing station for him,” says the Peterborough resident. “It’s close enough to home that it’s not going to cost us a whole lot if he doesn’t perform.”
With just eight starts on his resume, Cashedout will make his Ontario Sires Stakes debut from Post 7 in the first Grassroots division. The Astreos son heads into the provincial test off a 1:57.1 victory over the Kawartha oval, and Hutchinson acknowledges that the gelding will have to crank it up a notch to earn a share of the lucre.
“These guys are going to go around 1:53,” speculates the owner/trainer. “He’s as ready as he’s going to be, it’s whether he can go fast enough.”
After owning a share of several racehorses with longtime friend Dave Johnston over the last two decades, Hutchinson decided to obtain his trainer’s license when he retired from Quaker Oats. He purchased Cashedout last April and turned the colt out to mature, starting him up just in time to head south for the winter — the gelding gained most of his education under the sunny skies of Hawkinsville, Georgia.
“We enjoy the racing here, but we thoroughly enjoy going to Georgia for the training down there,” says Hutchinson, who earned his trainer’s license two years ago. “We’ve been going down for three or four years now.”
With the support of friends and fellow snowbirds Johnston and Bill Van Katwyk, Hutchinson prepped Cashedout for his first start at Kawartha Downs on May 30. The gelding finished second by a nose in a non-winners of one race contest, and then captured the same class with a 1:56.1 effort on June 6, so Hutchinson decided a trip to Mohawk Racetrack was in order.
In an overnight event for three-year-olds on June 14, Cashedout finished sixth with a 1:54.4 tour of the Campbellville oval, but two weeks later he faded in the stretch and finished a disappointing ninth.
“He didn’t quite perform as well as he should have,” recalls the trainer. “It turns out he had a bit of a virus.”
Back on home turf for his last four starts Cashedout logged one second, one seventh, one sixth and then bounced back with last Saturday’s victory.
“We are not putting our hopes too high,” says Hutchinson. “So anything will be a reward for us. We’ve learned that part of the business.”
Steven Skilton will steer Cashedout in his Grassroots debut, facing off against a tough field of Grassroots regulars including division leader Alexie Mattosie, who gets Post 3, and second ranked Medoland Glenno, who will start from Post 6.
The Grassroots portion of Saturday’s program begins in the second race with Cashedout and his peers, and extends through to Race 8. Kawartha Downs sends its first race behind the starting gate at 7 p.m.
To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click here.