The fifth leg of the Prospect Series for two-year-old pacing fillies was conducted on Saturday (Sept. 12) at Hiawatha Horse Park, with Carnival Heart once again finding the series to her liking.
J.B. Renaud hustled the rookie pacer from post four to the position of command and played catch-me-if-you-can with her six rivals. After fractions of :27, :57 and 1:26.1 no one could get to the leader's wheel. Closing comfortably in :30.4, Carnival Heart paced nearly to her lifetime mark winning by a length and a half in 1:57. Stablemates A La Mode Seelster (Marc St. Louis, Jr.) and Lets Roar (Mike Horner) completed the triactor.
Owned by trainer Julie Walker of Carlisle along with breeder Dr. Terry Fried of Bright and Darlene Carr of Dundas, Ont., Carnival Heart (Big Jim - Yankeelicious) picked up her fourth win in six starts with the winner's share of the $7,200 purse lifting her earnings to $18,296. Two of her four wins have come in the Prospect Series and she looks to be a strong contender for the Final on Sept. 25 at Grand River Raceway.
Rootin Tootin was the 1-9 choice of the betting public in the $6,000 Preferred Handicap Pace, and he performed accordingly. Travis Henry sat the pocket with Rootin Tootin for the first three quarters of the race and then rocketed past pacesetter Validus Deo (St. Louis) to win by nearly six in 1:52.4.
Blake MacIntosh trains and co-owns five-year-old Rootin Tootin (Roll With Joe - Wild Retreat) along with Stuart McIntosh of Essex, Fred Brayford of Alliston, Ont. and Robert Mac Neil of Brossard, Que. The win was his third of the year and 18th lifetime, lifting his earnings over the $280,000 plateau.
Although St. Louis was the runner-up in these first two races of the card, he held the hot hands through the next nine races by winning five of them. St. Louis added to his track-leading totals with wins aboard Unabating (his fifth straight, $2.90, 1:59.1), Shakeitifyougotit ($8.70, 1:57), Village Champ ($2.40, 1:55.2), Cal Hanover ($3.60, 1:57) before closing the card with The Loan Ranger ($3.40, 1:57.2). With 155 victories on the season, St. Louis is quickly approaching the 2,000 win plateau with 1,985 career victories.
For the full charted results from Sarnia's Saturday card, click the following link: Saturday Results - Hiawatha Horse Park.