The Ontario Sires Stakes 50th Anniversary celebration tour will be making a stop at Hanover Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 24, when an 11-race card will feature the final of the Balanced Image Stakes and a pair of Grassroots Series races.
Taking place in Races 2 and 4, the $20,000 Grassroots Series events will be for three-year-old pacing fillies, while the Balanced Image, Race 10, is for two-year-old Ontario-sired trotters, with a purse of $45,000 up for grabs.
The two Grassroots events are highlighted by favourites Greatest Pleasure (sired by Bettors Delight) in Race 2 and Betterwithglasses (sired by Betterthancheddar) in Race 4. Both horses were racing in the Gold Series recently with mixed results and have been given 6-5 (Greatest Pleasure) and 2-1 (Betterwithglasses) morning line odds ahead of Saturday.
Looking locally, Race 4 will also feature Stilton Gold, another Betterthancheddar daughter who is also a homebred of local Hanover trainer Harry Martin.
“She’s actually kind of a 'green' driving horse. She’s just learning,” said Martin of Stilton Gold, who has morning line odds of 6-1 and will be driven by Jason Ryan when she starts from post three in the five-horse field on Saturday. “She doesn’t have that many lifetime starts... and she’s still just kind of learning as the drivers find out. But she seems to be a filly that likes to go with them. She’s not one to be in the back of the pack and she wants to be involved in the race and she gets into it. She’ll do her best.”
Stilton Gold had only six starts as a two-year-old and has primarily raced at the Prospect level this year, but Martin wants to see what she might show in a step up in class.
“We’re going to give her a shot,” said Martin. “This may be a bit of a higher level than she’s ready for, but we’re going to try it.”
In advance of Saturday’s celebrations, noted Canadian harness racing writer and historian Robert Smith wrote a brief history of Hanover Raceway that can be read by clicking here.
“When the Sires Stakes started and it first came [to Hanover], it was quite a thing,” said Martin. “We used to buy two or three yearlings every year and would race in the Sires Stakes. Back then it was 14 races spread out all over the province and we had a lot of fun travelling around.”
In addition to the Ontario Sires Stakes’ anniversary, Hanover Raceway is also celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.
Post time for Saturday at Hanover goes at 1:30 p.m. Live streaming of the races are available on the Hanover Raceway Youtube channel and HPIbet. Visit the track's website at hanoverraceway.com for a free program.
To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Hanover Raceway.
(Ontario Racing)