Wednesday’s Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots contest at Sudbury Downs marks the halfway point in the three-year-old trotting filly season and trainer Richard Griffiths is hoping Dry Tears has an easier journey
through the last part of the season than she did through the first.
“We had a real time with her for a while with being in season. She would be in season every eight or 10 days,” explains the Thorndale, ON resident. “And while she was in season she had terrible muscle soreness.”
The daughter of Oaklea Julian and Far Cry Hanover made her first sophomore appearance at Western Fair Raceway in an April 2 qualifier, clocking a 2:02.2 victory. Seven days later she was fourth in an overnight event at the London half-mile, and returned for a fifth-place result on April 20. Dry Tears scored her first lifetime victory at Western Fair on May 5, stopping the teletimer at 2:03.3 and then her season went slightly off the rails.
On May 13 she made a break in an overnight event at Hiawatha Horse Park and crossed the wire well back of the field. In the Grassroots season opener at Western Fair on May 19 Dry Tears started from the outside Post 7 and eked out a third-place finish, but she faded badly on driver Michael Whelan in the last quarter. In a June 5 prep race for the second Grassroots event, the filly made a break at the halfway marker at Woodstock Raceway and was unable to recover, eventually falling around the last turn.
The filly missed the June 10 Grassroots event while she recovered from her ordeal and Griffiths worked to correct her hormonal imbalance. The trainer says Dry Tears was a less than cooperative patient, but eventually they were able to get her cycle regulated and ease the muscle soreness that accompanied it.
Once Dry Tears regained her health, Griffiths entered her to qualify at Clinton Raceway on June 27, but over a sloppy oval rated three seconds slower than normal she went off stride around the last turn. Two days later Griffiths sent her back to the qualifying ranks, this time at Mohawk Racetrack, and Jason Brewer teamed her to a solid victory in 2:00.4.
Brewer was back in the bike for the July 4 Grassroots skirmish at Clinton Raceway, and once again Dry Tears came up with a victory, going gate to wire in 2:01.4. Off two strong starts, Griffiths and owners Yves Blouin of London, ON, Adrian Dimmers of Ingersoll, ON and Ming Siu of Richmond, BC decided to give the youngster a shot in the Dream Of Glory Stake at Hanover Raceway. Stuart Sowerby picked up the drive and engineered a third-place finish in the July 24 elimination and a dominant 2:00.4 victory in the July 31 consolation.
“She had a crappy hole the first week, and it was muddy up there, and Stuart did a great job, then he did a super job in the consolation,” says Griffiths. “There were some nice horses up there.”
Dry Tears will look to boost her Grassroots total from Post 4 in Wednesday’s seventh race and Griffiths is hoping for another strong effort from the youngster.
“She’s been real honest lately — with a trotter, that’s half the battle — and she’s got a good turn of speed,” notes the horseman. “She likes her work, she likes to get out and go.”
Among the fillies Dry Tears will face on Wednesday is two-time Grassroots winner Oaklea Sydney from Post 5. Another daughter of Oaklea Julian, Oaklea Sydney currently shares top spot in the Grassroots point standings with Wilsonator and Tommi My Girl. Wilsonator will start from Post 6 in the sixth race, while Tommi My Girl tackles the Gold Series fillies this month.
Post time for Wednesday’s program is 7:15 p.m., with the three-year-old trotting fillies battling around the Sudbury Downs oval in Races 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 10.
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(OSS)