Rideau Carleton Raceway hosts the final round of Grassroots action for the two-year-old trotting colts this Friday, and for the first time this season Northern Victory does not have to get on a trailer to compete in the provincial program
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“He’s right at home,” says trainer-driver Rodney Zeron, who stables the son of Amigo Hall-Yankee Nugget at the Ottawa oval. “He’s shipped everywhere to race, and there was only one time he actually stayed overnight.”
In addition to the miles he has logged to and from Grassroots starts, Northern Victory has also accumulated a sizeable number of Grassroots points. In four provincial appearances the colt has two wins and two fourths to his credit for a total of 116 points, putting him in fifth spot heading into the regular season finale. The top 20 point earners advance to the Sept. 23 Grassroots Semifinals at Mohawk Racetrack.
The colt captured his Grassroots debut with a 2:07.1 mile over Clinton Raceway on July 24, finished fourth at Grand River Raceway on Aug. 3 and Kawartha Downs on Aug. 11, and then returned to the winner’s circle last week at Georgian Downs with a personal best 2:00.1 effort.
“He’s a very intelligent colt, if you show him something once it’s stuck there,” says Zeron of the young trotter. “And he’s not hard on himself.”
Bob Montgomery of Carp owns Northern Victory, who was an $8,000 bargain at last year’s Canadian Yearling Sale. Through seven lifetime starts the colt has already accumulated $30,890, following the trail blazed by his half-siblings Silhouette Dream ($235,557) and Nasty Dream ($137,341).
“Bob Montgomery picked him out of the sale,” recalls Zeron. “We’ve had horses together for a number of years; unfortunately I didn’t buy into this one.”
When Northern Victory arrived at Zeron’s Oxford Mills farm, the colt forged an immediate connection with caretaker Marleah Selleck and the trainer says the two have been inseparable ever since.
“He bonded right away with the girl who grooms for me, he’s just her baby,” says the horseman, adding that the colt is a model of gentlemanly manners for Selleck. “She looks after him all the time.”
Northern Victory is the first horse Zeron has raced in the Ontario Sires Stakes program in a decade, but the veteran horseman says Montgomery has already acquired two more trotting yearlings to ready for next year’s provincial circuit.
In the meantime Montgomery will enjoy the remainder of Northern Victory’s season. With 116 points, the colt has already locked up his spot in the post season, but Zeron says that has not stopped the owner from gathering a cheering section to support the colt in Friday’s regular season finale.
“I heard there’s some tables reserved already,” says Zeron.
The fan club will be on their feet when Zeron parades Northern Victory onto the Rideau Carleton oval from Post 4 in the second $24,000 Grassroots division. The pair faces a field of six that includes division point leader Strike The Cheque from Post 3.
Rideau Carleton Raceway will call the first two-year-old trotting colt division to the post at 6:30 p.m.; with the other Grassroots divisions featured in Races 3, 5, 7 and 9.
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To view entries for Friday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Friday Entries – Rideau Carleton Raceway.