If you’re a fan of trotting fillies, then Georgian Downs was the place to be on Tuesday evening. The Innisfil oval hosted eight OSS Grassroots divisions – each worth $24,000 – for three-year-olds, and driver Anthony MacDonald dominated the event
.
Wendy Woo eked out a head decision in the opening split for driver Steve Byron and trainer Shane Weber. The homebred enjoyed a ground-saving journey through the early stages of the mile before finding clearance and getting up in the final strides for the maiden-breaking score in a time of 1:57.4. B Cor Janett was next best, with race favourite Stage Fright grabbing third prize.
Tom and Elizabeth Rankin of St. Catharines, ON bred and own the daughter of Ken Warkentin-Great Expectations, who has put together a 1-1-1 record in 12 starts this season after being unraced as a rookie. She has stashed away more than $17,000 to date.
Zorgwijk Locket celebrated the first stakes victory of her career thanks to her 1:58.2 triumph in the second division for the duo of driver Dan Clements and trainer Ronnie MacLean. Clements got away sixth with his charge and sat there until past the half before picking up cover and then using a :29.2 kicker to score the one-length decision over race favourite Zorgwijk Lunar in 1:58.2. Harlow Seelster rounded out the top three finishers.
The daughter of Striking Sahbra out of the OSS-winning mare Got Sno Socks is owned by Arthur Slack and Ted Smith of Ontario along with Brian Paquet of Quebec. The victory was the second of her career, and the lion’s share of the purse lifted her cash stash to $45,400.
Tropical Breeze AS didn’t cross the line first in the third division, but she did haul home the hardware as a result of the ORC Judges placing winner My Whispering Eye back to third for causing interference to Some Like It Hot in the stretch. Tropical Breeze AS got to within three-quarters of a length of that winner before learning she was placed into the top spot. Some Like It Hot, despite getting interfered with, still managed to finish third before getting placed up to second.
Anthony MacDonald was behind Tropical Breeze AS, who ended up picking up a new lifetime mark of 1:57.4 in the process for trainer Anette Lorentzon. ACL Stuteri AB of Paris, KY bred and own the daughter of Striking Sahbra-Feeling Blue, who has put together a 2-1-1 record from seven starts this season. The three-time winner has earned more than $50,000 in her career.
Barbies Korvett notched her first stakes victory and did so in a career-best clocking of 2:00.1 thanks to her off-the-pace triumph in the fourth division. Jim McClure engineered the come-from-behind win with the Jim MacLeod trainee, who got up in the closing strides to win by three-quarters of a length over Abbycrest. Race favourite Mutinys Child recovered from an early miscue to salvage a third-place finish in the eight-filly affair.
MacLeod’s homebred daughter of Korvette Hanover-Photo Perfect won for the fourth time this season in 10 tries – a big improvement considering she went 0-for-9 in her rookie campaign. Her bankroll topped $40,000 with the win.
Ka Jean made her OSS debut a winning one in the fifth division for the team of driver Anthony MacDonald and trainer Paul Reid. MacDonald got away fifth with the Kadabra-American Jean miss before rushing her to the top at the half. She cleared and simply drew away from the competition, winning by 5-1/4 lengths over Out Of The Kitchen in 1:58.3. Last Chance Babie grabbed the show dough.
The filly, who is racing under lease to Bob Key of Leechburg, PA, now owns a 3-3-0 record in 10 tries this season. She’s just shy of $30,000 in lifetime earnings.
Ms Canada Kadabra was sent off as the 1-9 choice in her division and she managed to get the job done, but only by a narrow margin for trainer John Drennan. The Kadabra-Chust Say No lass got away third and remained in that position until the half. She marched to the lead in the backstretch and staved off a late-charging Surveillance by a neck in a time of 1:57.1.
Driver Anthony MacDonald notched his third stakes victory on the program, and Ms Canada Kadabra picked up her second stakes score of the season for the DDT Stable of Burlington, ON. She’s now 4-for-11 this year and her the $44,486 she’s banked along the way has helped her overall purse earnings jump to $49,726.
Angel Warken gave driver Anthony MacDonald the Grassroots Grand Slam thanks to her 1:57.4 tally in the next division. The Paul Reid-trained daughter of Ken Warkentin-Pleasures Angel brushed to the lead shortly past the quarter and after laying down middle panels of :58.1 and 1:27.3 she used a :30.1 final frame to hold on for the head decision over Marys Out Cruisin in 1:57.4. Feisty Love rounded out the top three finishers.
Sent off as the 4-5 choice, Angel Warken improved to 2-2-0 in eight starts while lifting her lifetime earnings to $19,850 for owner/breeder Bob Key of Leechburg, PA.
Extraordinaire picked up her third Grassroots trophy of the season thanks to her wire-to-wire win in the final division for trainer/driver Wayne Henry. She marched right to the top from Post 9 and successfully chopped out intervals of :28, :58.1 and 1:26.4 en route to the 2-1/4 length decision over Magical Paige in 1:56.1. Honey Thorn took home third prize in the speedy tilt.
She’s won four of nine this season for Henry Stable of Arthur and Kaye Laverty of Sauble Beach, ON. The seven-time winner, who was a $16,000 bargain buy from the 2009 Forest City Yearling Sale, has now banked in excess of $275,000.
To view results for Tuesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Tuesday Results – Georgian Downs.