Mario Baillargeon scored a pair of wins in Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots action at Kawartha Downs on Saturday (Aug. 7) and the trainer-driver now has an enviable dilemma heading into the last two legs of the two-year-old trotting colt season.
“Those two colts, in the first Gold one was second, the other one was third. And today in the Grassroots we found a great spot for them,” said Baillargeon of Royal Champane and Renegade Gypsy, both winners on Saturday. “My colt, Renegade Gypsy, he’s so big. I’m sure next year he’s going to be a Gold colt, but this year, that might have given him a lot of confidence today, so we’ll see. I don’t know what to do with him really. It’s a little tricky situation, but I’d rather have that situation than not be good enough for a Grassroots.”
Baillargeon captured the second $21,450 Grassroots division with Renegade Gypsy, steering the favourite to a 1:57.4 personal best off a front-stepping effort from post 1. The Archangel gelding finished 8-1/4 lengths ahead of CM Savewill GL and Sir Ballykeel over a rain-soaked surface rated one second slower than normal.
“I never really asked him, the last turn I just yelled at him a little bit, and he took off. He was very comfortable,” said the Acton, Ont. resident. “He’s just getting stronger and I’m pretty sure he’s going to be a Gold colt next year, pretty sure.”
Baillargeon trains Renegade Gypsy for fractional ownership group TheStable Renegade Gypsy, based in Guelph, Ont. Saturday’s win was the gelding’s second in four starts, with two of those starts coming at the Gold Series level. In the July 8 Gold Series season opener he finished third and in the July 29 leg he was sixth over the Woodbine Mohawk Park surface.
The reinsman piloted Royal Champane to his first win in the third $21,800 Grassroots division for his brother, trainer Ben Baillargeon of Guelph, and the gelding’s breeder, Glengate Farms of Erin, ON. Also starting from post 1, favourite Royal Champane sat behind pacesetter Mass Attack as that colt reeled off fractions of :29.2, :58.4 and 1:28.3 and then stepped out in the stretch to claim the 1:59.1 victory by one and one-quarter lengths. Evil Guy closed for second and Mass Attack settled for third.
“I qualified him maybe a month and a half ago (June 25) and I saw him for the second time today and I said, ‘Holy jeez, he grew a lot’,” said Baillargeon. “Sometimes they get growing and it takes a while to set them up, to get over the hump, like we say. I think they’re just getting over the hump. It was a good day.”
Like Renegade Gypsy, Royal Champane made two starts in the Gold Series before arriving at Kawartha Downs for Saturday’s Grassroots event. In the July 8 Gold opener he was second and on July 29 the Royalty For Life son was seventh.
Former Peterborough resident Dagfin Henriksen made a winning return to Kawartha Downs in the first $21,800 Grassroots division. Now calling Guelph, Ont. home, Henriksen piloted Belvedere Bronx to a 1:58.4 score from post 6, besting Feel The Force by a nose. Fan favourite Mask Of Zoro finished third.
“I got him Monday with no shoes on, so I kind of had to do everything from scratch, and it worked out good. The horse raced very, very, very well. I didn’t expect much from him today actually, to be honest with you,” said Henriksen of the new addition to his barn. “I saw he’d been making breaks off the gate in previous lines on the card, so I kind of just took it easy off the gate and felt him up a little bit the first half and he felt okay, so I started driving and he responded right away, so it worked out just perfect.”
The trainer-driver engineered the win for owner-breeder Dr. Michael Venneri of St. Catharines, Ont. The win was the Archangel son’s first in five lifetime starts. In his only other Grassroots start, the July 31 leg at Hiawatha Horse Park, Belvedere Bronx made an early break and finished eighth, placed seventh.
“He’s a nice horse, I enjoyed him today,” said Henriksen. “Nice to be on the old home turf too. I haven’t been here in three years I think. It was fun.”
Favourites Marauder Seelster and driver Aaron Byron went gate-to-wire from post 5 in the last $21,800 division, cruising under the wire 4-3/4 lengths ahead of their peers in 1:58. Rose Run Xcaliber finished second and Unevergonnagethis was third.
“I think he’s actually starting to come around that horse,” said Amanda Fine, who trains the Muscle Mass son for Steve Heimbecker of Waterloo, ON. “It was weird, he was kind of my lower pecking order training down, and then when it came time to play he actually really stepped up.”
The win was Marauder Seelster’s first in five outings. He finished third in the July 15 Grassroots season opener at Woodbine Mohawk Park, but made a break in the July 31 leg at Hiawatha Horse Park and finished seventh, placed eighth. Saturday’s win bumped into the top 10 in the division point standings with two legs remaining.
Kawartha Downs also hosted one $7,200 Prospect Series division for the two-year-old trotting colts, which went to favourite Rolling In Clover. The Kadabra gelding and trainer-driver Guy Gagnon controlled the pace from Post 1 and sailed home to a five length win in 2:00.2. Come Home For Life was second and Glandcaster Hall was third.
Gatineau resident Gagnon shares ownership of Rolling In Clover with Gestion Louis Latulippe Inc. and Gestion Bruno Blouin Inc. of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, Que.
The two-year-old trotting colts will make their fourth Grassroots start at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Sept. 6, while the Prospect Series competitors head to Hanover Raceway on Sept. 4.
(Ontario Sires Stakes)
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Kawartha Downs.