Kawartha Downs will roll out the red carpet for the province’s talented three-year-old trotting fillies on Saturday night and play host to six $24,000 Grassroots divisions
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Local filly Parkhill Fantasia will be looking to add a few more points to her collection from Post 6 in the third $24,000 division, and co-owner John Houston is looking forward to watching her try. The resident of Cobourg, Ont. has been laid up due to a heart bypass surgery, which forced him into a far less active roll than he is used to.
"I usually go up to the farm about twice a week," explained Houston, who shares ownership on Parkhill Fantasia with trainer John Bax’s Parkhill Stud Farm and Goin To The Show Stable of Peterborough, Ont. and Lewis Palmer of Oshawa, Ont. "I usually do some stalls."
Through her first four Grassroots appearances, Parkhill Fantasia posted one third and two fourth-place finishes, giving her a total of 28 points. To extend her Ontario Sires Stakes season past October 16, the Duke Of York filly will need a top finish on Saturday.
"She’s racing fairly good," Houston said. "We are hoping she can pick up — in the next two races — enough points to make the top 16."
Regular reinsman Stephen Byron will steer Parkhill Fantasia in Saturday’s fifth race, and the pair will square off for the second straight start against two-time Grassroots winner Daylon Mystique, who gets Post 3. They will also battle Stonebridge Encore, who captured her first Grassroots victory of the season in the September 2 event at Flamboro Downs, and will start from Post 5 Saturday.
A 20-year veteran of owning racehorses, Houston has mastered the art of cautious optimism. This season has already been a successful one for the longtime owner, as both his young horses are competing at the Grassroots level.
"I have two, a three-year-old and a two-year-old. I figure at least one will do some good," Houston said wryly. "So far this has been the first time in a few years we’ve had two racing."
In addition to Parkhill Fantasia, who has posted one win, three seconds and two thirds through 13 starts this season, Houston also owns a share in two-year-old trotting colt Fuel Cell, who has earned one win, one second and three fourths in his first five lifetime starts.
"He’s had five starts and been in the money each time," notes Houston. "We like him, too."
Houston has owned horses in partnership with Bax for the better part of two decades, and often purchases a share in one of the trainer’s homebred trotters.
"I’ve been with John for over 20 years, and I’ve actually had part of most of his homebreds for about 20 years," explained the owner.
"He’s a great guy, everybody likes him," Houston added. "Most of the owners have been with him a long time."
In addition to Parkhill Fantasia, Bax will also harness Lunar Stream from Post 5 in the fourth race and Found An Angel from Post 6 in the eighth race on Saturday.
The three-year-old trotting fillies are featured in Races 3 through 8 on Saturday, with the first race rolling in behind the Kawartha Downs starting gate at 7:00 p.m.
To view Kawartha's harness racing entries for Saturday, click here.
(With files from OSS)