Quick fractions and hooked wheels did not impact Team Jamieson and Sports Obsession as the Sportswriter colt capitalized from chaos to win the $239,000 Battle of Waterloo Final on Monday, Aug. 5 at Grand River Raceway.
“I told everybody he had a good shot,” trainer Carl Jamieson said of Sports Obsession. “We just need a little bit of luck.”
Race-favourite Wind Blown protected position from post 1 while Bettorbuckleup left in tandem with Aneto, from the second tier, in third. Sports Obsession also showed speed but took back to fifth as Wind Blown parked Bettorbuckleup to a :26.2 opening quarter. Bettorbuckleup eventually forfeited on the outside and decelerated as Beach Blanket Book tipped off the pylons and got caught in Bettorbuckleup’s retreat, hooking wheels and scattering the backfield past a :54.2 half.
“I had visions of crossing right over to the lead,” Jody Jamieson said after the race. “But I had to take back. Once I got him back in gear again, then I noticed they hooked up and I knew I had the inside lane and the safety lane so that’s where I headed.”
Through the mishap driver Jody Jamieson stuck inside with Sports Obsession and cut the corner to move into third before pulling first over into the backside. Sports Obsession went passed Wind Blown as the favourite tired through three-quarters in 1:24.1 and only gave chase through the stretch to finish second in a 1:54 mile. Aneto took third while Better B Swift took fourth.
“Winning this was nice because I’m on the way out and not the way in,” Carl Jamieson said.
Co-owned by Carl Jamieson with George Harrison, Sports Obsession won his second race from five starts, earning $134,240.
Jody Jamieson let out a singular, loud “woo” after the race. “[I’m] pretty pumped,” he said. “This is awesome. It’s 2019 and dad and I did it again. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be standing here at any time.
“If I had to do too much more work, I’m not sure how much better he would’ve been because he was pretty tuckered out when we hit the wire.”
Sports Obsession paid $17.30 to win.
Heavy-favourite Alicorn lost stride past the first eighth, recovered and ground towards pacesetter Karma Seelster through the mile, but the 1/9 choice failed to overtake the 25-1 shot in the $157,500 Battle of the Belles.
Driver Doug McNair launched Karma Seelster from post 8 to the front while Queso Relleno stretched her to a :26.3 opening quarter. Alicorn, caught wide into the first turn, accelerated to try and slip into a gap created by the quick early pace but then broke briefly before getting back on stride into the second turn.
Alicorn continued to advance towards Karma Seelster through a :55.4 half and drew within a length of the lead moving past three-quarters in 1:25.1. Karma Seelster turned into the stretch headstrong and on a half-length lead in progress to a 1:54.4 win with Alicorn giving pursuit from second. Temagami Seelster, circling the field around the final turn, took third.
“As soon as we made the lead I didn’t hear anybody coming [so I thought we went] too fast,” Doug McNair said. “I figured Louis [Philippe Roy on Alicorn] would just flip her to the front going to the half, but he just came real nice and slow; I don’t think he was getting around the turns too handily. I could hear Louis talking to his pretty good at the three-quarter pole so I knew his was going to get as fired as mine was and that we would just outlast him.
“I haven’t been in the winner’s circle of one of these races in a few years but I remember when I was 18-years-old standing here and it felt like yesterday. Time flies; it’s just great to be here.”
Returning $56.90 to win, Karma Seelster won her second race from four starts, earning $114,118. Eileen Waples, Keith Waples and Karen Hauver own the $127,000 daughter of Sportswriter.
“We had a little trouble a few times with her gait this winter but she’s really come along since she got back to Canada,” trainer Gregg McNair said after the race. “Doug going out today said he was going to race her kind of conservative and I thought she’d be tough up front, but I saw that quarter and I thought ‘Geeze, that’s not that easy a quarter or half.’ But she held good.”
Sophomore pacing males coincided the Industry Day features in five divisions of Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Grassroots.
With favourite Carsons Shadow galloping past the quarter, Dreamfair Moxy faced little pressure when taking the first OSS Grassroots split in 1:53.1.
Driver Travis Cullen sent the Bettors Delight gelding to the front from the inside post while Carsons Shadow, gapping the gate at the start, saved ground around the turn to secure the pocket. Dreamfair Moxy paced to the first quarter in :27 as Carsons Shadow broke stride and dropped to the tail of the field. From there the Jodie Cullen trainee posted fractions of :56.1 and 1:24.4 while widening his lead on Better Than Cash, who overtook second from Life Is Better through the stretch.
“He’s turned out to be a nice little horse,” said Travis Cullen, whose connections acquired Dreamfair Moxy in early June. “He’s just a little guy but he tries his heart out. I told John after I drove him in the very first start [that] he’s a horse who’ll fight anybody off. He is a little bit lazy but they usually last longer that way.”
Winning his sixth race from 27 starts, Dreamfair Moxy has earned $65,747. The $6.00 winner races for owner John Lamers.
Carlisimo took the second OSS division stalking the speed and sliding through the inside towards a 1:53.3 victory.
Silver Beast bolted to the front with Carlisimo ducking into the pocket ahead of pylon-starter Nagle moving to the first quarter in :27.2. Prestige Seelster, racing fourth, edged first over into the turn and progressed towards Silver Beast as the latter bore out into the clubhouse turn off a :57.1 half.
The pacesetter corrected and angled back to the cones moving for the backstretch as Prestige Seelster continued to press the pace approaching three-quarters, timed in 1:25.1. Prestige Seelster dug into Silver Beast through the stretch and took a narrow lead before Carlisimo found inside clearance to shoot past to a nose victory. Silver Beast settled for third while Priceless Beach, the 3/5 favourite, got stuck behind tiring horses but rallied for fourth.
Owned by Reginald MacPherson, Carlisimo won his fifth race from 12 starts this season and his 10th from 24 overall, earning $94,665. Doug McNair drove the $9.60 winner for trainer James “Friday” Dean.
Sugartown powered past horses early and held firm through quick fractions to take the third OSS division.
St Lads Thriller left from the pylon post with Fast N First also showing speed from the center. Once Fast N First edged past St Lads Thriller through a :26.3 opening clip, driver Louis-Philippe Roy sent Sugartown from third towards the lead and cleared before a :55 half. Lucky Levis moved first over from fourth heading towards the backside to challenge Sugartown for the front but stalled past three-quarters in 1:23.4. Itaintezbeincheesy, positioned second over, fanned wide for the stretch drive while Fast N First dove into the open stretch, but both failed to overtake Sugartown and settled for third and second respectively in the 1:53.1 mile.
“This horse is pretty good on a half mile,” Roy said after the race. “He’s so quick for a little pacer. So when I was sitting in the three-hole, I didn’t like my position and James [MacDonald on Fast N First] was trying to get a breather in the second quarter. I knew mine could be quick for a little piece so I just moved him and tried to get him into better position. I had [Fast N First] on my helmet the rest of the race and he looked like he was feeling pretty good, so I didn’t want to get away and let him have room before the stretch.”
Trained by Richard Moreau for owner William Donovan, Sugartown won his sixth race from 16 starts this season and his seventh from 26 overall, earning $84,480. He paid $4.80 to win.
Ok Kudo vaulted past far-turn interference in route to a 1:53.4 victory in the fourth OSS split.
Driver James MacDonald sat sixth with the Shawn Steacy trainee while Better Moonon Over cleared command from Stonebridge Surf into a :27.1 opening quarter. Silas Seelster, parked first over from the start, stuck close to the pacesetters while Loud Splash grabbed cover through a :56 half.
Stonebridge Surf faltered through the backside while Silas Seelster stalled, forcing Loud Splash three wide and Ok Kudo four wide moving towards three-quarters in 1:24.2. Loud Splash, tracked by 4/5 favourite Balder Son, took a bad step and went on a gallop, cluttering the backfield while Ok Kudo swept to the front. Jaye Eye Em came from last to take second while Silas Seelster held third from Better Moonon Over fading in fourth.
“They slugged it out up front and—[when] he gets a trip like that—he’s going to blow the doors off some nice horses,” MacDonald said after the race. “Early in the year he was kind of disappointing—we had high hopes on him. He was racing well he just wasn’t going by like we thought he should and now he’s starting to get the hang of it and getting stronger. I got lucky [missing the confusion]. Just as I got around Trevor [Henry on Loud Splash] his horse got rough, so it was kind of in my rear view mirror but I heard some yelling.
Owned by Oak Knoll Stables and Stephen Downey, Ok Kudo won his second race from 16 starts, earning $49,055. The Sunshine Beach colt paid $13.50 to win.
Public-choice Hp Napoleon went wire to wire in the final OSS division, winning in 1:54.3. The Big Jim gelding set splits of :27.2, :57.4 and 1:26.2 on the lead and capped the mile chased home by pocket-sitter Head To The Beach while Phils Sun, racing from second over, took third with Quan Blue Chip sliding through the passing lane from last for fourth.
Driven by Mario Baillargeon for brother Benoit Baillargeon, Hp Napoleon won his fifth race from 11 starts, earning $36,883. Claude Hamel owns the $5.10 winner.
Splitting the OSS and the "Battles", Ghost Dance paced the second fastest mile in Grand River history when winning the $12,500 Preferred Pace in 1:51.1. The Nick Gallucci-trained four-year-old gelding by American Ideal races for Millar Farms and paid $5.90 to win in his 13-length score.
Record Handle
Today’s handle of $488,696 is a new Industry Day record, besting the previous record of $481,239 set in 2016.
To view Monday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Monday Results - Grand River Raceway.