The Ontario Sires Stakes 50th Anniversary celebration is making a stop at Georgian Downs on Sunday, Aug. 11, part of the Earl Rowe Memorial Trot card that includes three Grassroots and two Prospect Series races.
The $20,000 Grassroots Series races are for three-year-old trotting fillies, while the $8,000 Prospect Series events will feature sophomore colt trotters.
The three Grassroot Series events are scheduled for Races 1, 3 and 4, while Races 2 and 6 will host the Prospect Series events as part of Sunday’s 11-race card.
As part of the seven-horse field in the first race, Her Currency enters as the favourite. With Bob McClure driving for trainer Scott McEneny, the daughter of The Bank boasts 2-1 morning odds as she currently sits in third place on the Grassroots leaderboard for three-year-old trotting fillies.
The No. 1 and 2 ranked horses on the Grassroots leaderboard, Birthday Money and Mass Cara, will be competing in Races 4 and 3, respectively.
In addition to Her Currency, Hope N Glory is an intriguing local filly to keep an eye on in Race 1.
Trained and owned by Gino Cicero of Melancthon, Ont. and bred by Norah Parks of New Lowell, Ont., Hope N Glory will be driven Sunday by Stephen Byron, who is just a short five-minute drive away from Georgian Downs and has been racing horses like this daughter of Lookslikeachipndale around the Barrie area for almost four decades now.
“It’s kind of like when you’re in business, this is your home base,” Byron said of Georgian Downs. “I’m coming up on 40 years of driving and I’ve always raced out of [the Barrie] area.”
When it comes to Hope N Glory Byron is, naturally, hopeful for her chances Sunday.
“She’s a nice big, strong filly,” said Byron. “She’s had some allergy issues, but the trainers are hoping that they’ve got her straightened out. I’m expecting her to do well on Sunday.”
On the Prospect Series side, Stonebridge Glee brings some local flavour in the second race. McClure will be in the bike seat behind the son of Muscle Mass on Sunday and his trainer, Keith Jones, is another Barrie-area regular.
“I raced out of Barrie Raceway before it moved to Georgian and my father raced at Barrie Raceway before that,” said Jones. “My father was at Barrie from since it was built and my father also worked for the Hon. Earl Rowe at one time, too.”
Owned by Doug McCarthy of Holland Landing, Ont. and bred by Angie Stiller of Arva, Ont., Stonebridge Glee is a well-natured colt according to Jones that just has some issues getting himself going this year.
Described by Jones as “an honest trotter,” there’s still hope that more can be brought out of Stonebridge Glee, although that’s not guaranteed.
The $100,000 Earl Rowe Memorial Invitational Trot goes in Race 8 of Sunday’s card, featuring two-time defending champion Fashion Frenzie (PP3, Louis-Philippe Roy, 8-5) seeking a threepeat while facing six rivals including 2023 O'Brien Award winner Logan Park (PP1, Doug McNair, 6-5).
In advance of Sunday’s celebrations, noted Canadian harness racing writer and historian Robert Smith wrote a brief history of Georgian Downs that you can read here.
First post time this Sunday at Georgian is set for 6 p.m. To view Sunday's entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Georgian Downs.
(with files from Ontario Sires Stakes)