Windsor Raceway kicks off two weeks of outstanding Ontario Sires Stakes action on Sunday evening with five $24,000 Grassroots divisions for the three-year-old
pacing colts.
Hoping to deliver another strong effort in his second Grassroots start is locally owned Herestopatrick, who will make his bid for provincial glory from Post 2 in the sixth race. The Apaches Fame son delivered a 1:54.2 victory in his Grassroots debut at Kawartha Downs on August 22, a start that occurred as a by product of the gelding’s steady season.
"The first Grassroots that he was in, the reason why we did send him up there was because racing at Mohawk the only class he could race in was non-winners of four races or $100,000 life, and they can be pretty tough," explains owner and breeder Michael Cecile. "But they write a class there, you’re eligible if you’ve raced in a Grassroots before that."
Through 22 starts this season, Herestopatrick has posted five wins, three seconds and one third for earnings of $95,250. Raced just six times as a two-year-old, the gelding started his sophomore campaign in January and was a player in every Series contested at Woodbine Racetrack from January to March, capturing legs of the Snowshoe, Count B and Apaches Fame. The youngster recorded his personal best 1:51.3 effort in a non-winners of four races skirmish at Mohawk Racetrack on July 13, which earned him a shot at the Gold Series horses in an August 2 elimination at Mohawk where he finished two lengths behind the winner in fifth.
"He’s out of Sippin Time, but he’s not like the other offspring of Sippin Time, he’s smaller, more like an Apaches Fame," notes the Windsor resident. "When he was training down, we weren’t quite sure what we had, but he’s just a notch below the Gold."
The third foal from $322,434 winner Sippin Time, Herestopatrick heads into his second Grassroots start off a September 13 overnight at Mohawk that saw the gelding fade through the stretch. Cecile says the lacklustre race was the first sign of a virus the colt has been battling for the last couple of weeks, so the longtime owner is hoping Herestopatrick can bounce back with a strong performance in Sunday’s Grassroots contest.
Cecile is looking forward to watching Herestopatrick race close to home, noting that he has scaled back his travel to Mohawk and Woodbine this season.
"It’s a four hour drive each way, and if they don’t race good, it’s a long four hour drive," says Cecile, wryly. "Lately I’ve just been turning on the internet and watching them."
Cecile has been involved with standardbreds since Windsor Raceway opened in 1965, and over the last decade has steadily increased his level of participation. At present, Fergus resident Mark Austin trains Herestopatrick and four other horses, including the gelding’s $236,435 winning half-brother Sipwiththepres, and Leamington resident Tim Myers conditions three horses for Cecile. There are also two broodmares and a couple of young horses awaiting their shot at the racing game.
"I’ve been involved off and on starting after Windsor Raceway opened up in 1965," explains Cecile. "I got involved and got the numbers up — which I never thought I would get the numbers up to that many — probably in the last 10 years.
"I don’t golf or anything else, I don’t have any other habits, so that fills in for me," he adds.
Herestopatrick and his three-year-old pacing colt peers will provide far more excitement than any golf game at Windsor Raceway on Sunday evening, battling for Grassroots points and purse money in Races 3, 5, 6, 7, and 9. Post time for the first race is 7 p.m.
To view Sunday's harness racing entries, click here.
(OSS)
Wish Mike well in this race.
Wish Mike well in this race. He is a good guy and has paid his dues over the years.