Hanover Raceway wraps up a stellar Ontario Sires Stakes season on Saturday evening with eight $24,000 Grassroots divisions for the two-year-old trotting fillies
Ahallofasupertime will make her Ontario Sires Stakes debut in Saturday’s fourth race, and trainer Ted MacDonnell is hoping the cooler weather and home field advantage will help the novice trotter earn a share of the Grassroots purse.
"I’ve been able to school her there, qualify her and race her there once, so if there’s such thing as a hometown advantage, she should have a little bit," says the Allenford resident, who shares ownership on Ahallofasupertime with his Northorn Stable partner Jeff Ruch of Innisfil, Stake Your Claim Stable of Secaucus, NJ and David Reid of Briarcliff Manor, NY.
Ahallofasupertime made her career debut at Hanover Raceway on Aug. 29, finishing fifth in the 2:06 mile. MacDonnell says that effort was an improvement over her Aug. 22 qualifier at Hanover, but still fell short of expectations.
"She just hasn’t shown up like I thought she would. She got sick on me and I think it’s held her back," notes the horseman. "She contracted a virus around the end of April and she just was a long time shaking it. We waited, and waited, and waited on her, but she’s still not strong."
MacDonnell and his partners acquired the Angus Hall daughter from last fall’s Forest City Yearling Sale for $27,000. They were attracted to her pedigree, she is the third foal from a half-sister to $2.2 million winner Goodtimes, and her flawless conformation.
"She has no flaws. She has great conformation," explains MacDonnell. "She travels very nice, we just need her to get stronger. She has the makings of being a nice filly."
Ahallofasupertime — known as L H Miss Times before Ruch came up with her current moniker — spends all of her leisure time in the great outdoors at MacDonnell’s farm, and the trainer is hoping the arrival of cool weather will eradicate any lingering effects of the illness she battled through the spring.
Driver Michael Whelan, who engineered her first outing, will steer Ahallofasupertime from the trailing Post 8 in Saturday’s Grassroots contest. Starting from the trailing post with any young trotter is always a dicey proposition, but MacDonnell is hoping six-time starter J M Annie will provide a steady lead for Whelan and Ahallofasupertime.
"Mark Steacy’s horses are usually very competitive and very well mannered, so if we have to, it should be a decent one to follow," says the horseman.
"Michael gets along great with her," MacDonnell adds. "He’s got a great set of hands and he’s very patient."
The first two-year-old trotting filly Grassroots event will open Hanover Raceway’s Saturday evening program at 7:15 pm, with the remaining divisions going postward in Races 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10.
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To view Saturday’s harness racing entries, click here.