Camaes Fellow got a healthy boost up the two-year-old pacing colt point standings with a hard fought victory in the first of four $24,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots divisions at Flamboro Downs on
Wednesday afternoon.
The Mach Three son and driver Luc Ouellette fired away from Post 6 and took command of the race before the :27.3 quarter. They continued to lead the pace through the :56.3 half and 1:26 three-quarters, but were under intense pressure from fan favourite Facebook (Scott Zeron), who stepped to the outside before the halfway marker and fought hard to strip the lead from Camaes Fellow.
Turning for home, only a length separated the top four colts, who were stacked up four-wide around the final turn. The dueling youngsters delivered a thrilling finish, but Camaes Fellow simply refused to give in and held on for a neck victory in 1:56. Facebook settled for second, with Mach Wheel (Joe Hudon Jr.) only a quarter length back in third.
Ouellette, who makes his home in Campbellville, ON, shares ownership of Camaes Fellow with Larry Murrell of Toronto, ON and trainer Christopher Beaver of Radnor, ON. Through eight starts this season the son of Mach Three and Camae has one win, one second and two thirds for earnings of $27,360. The gelding has made steady improvement in Grassroots action, finishing fifth, third, second and first in his four Grassroots starts since joining the program on Aug. 21, and currently boasts a point tally of 92.
Moffat, ON resident Jody Jamieson picked up the drive aboard Dreamfair Kovu and earned the P Forty Seven son his first Grassroots victory in the second division. Parked on the outside through the entire mile, the pair circled out three-wide at the three-quarter marker to take the lead and proceeded to cruise down the stretch to a two length victory in 1:55.3.
Fan favourite Ultimate Luck (Scott Zeron) closed from seventh through the last quarter to finish second, edging out Wit And Wisdom (Mike Saftic).
Patrick Fletcher trains Dreamfair Kovu for owner-breeder John Lamers of Ingersoll, ON. Out of Lamers’ prolific broodmare J Cs Nathalie, Dreamfair Kovu is a half-brother to $1.4 million winner Dreamfair Eternal and $1.1 million winner Dreamfair Vogel. Through his first five starts, the chestnut colt has accumulated two wins and one third for earnings of $22,060.
Division leader Just Asign To Me extended his Grassroots win streak to five in the third division on Wednesday. The Geartogear son and driver Trevor Henry executed their usual game plan in text book fashion, going straight to the front and cruising home five length victors in 1:55. Lucky Encounter (Mike Saftic) traveled up the outside into second and Medoland J T (Sylvain Filion) secured the third-place finisher’s share of the $24,000 purse.
Henry engineered the victory for trainer Bruce Gilkinson’s Cat Sass Stable. Listowel, ON resident Gilkinson purchased Just Asign To Me from an online auction site at the end of June without ever laying eyes on the colt, and the $21,500 (U.S.) it took to reel the young pacer in has to be one of the smartest investments the horseman has ever made. Through eight starts, Just Asign To Me has accumulated $63,780 and sits atop the two-year-old pacing colt Grassroots standings with a perfect 250 points.
The final Grassroots trophy presented at Flamboro Downs on Wednesday went home with Atlantic Ball, who recovered from a brief miscue to snatch a three-quarter length victory away from pacesetter Adventure Bound (Randy Fritz). Fan favourite Adventure Bound carved fractions of :28.3, :57.1 and 1:26, but could not hold off Atlantic Ball when driver Mark Macdonald tipped him out of the pocket in the stretch.
Stonebridge Bonus (Simon Allard) rounded out the top three finishers in the 1:56 mile for Aaron Waxman of Brantford, ON, Alan Alber of Thornhill, ON and trainer Rene Allard of Saint-Esprit, QC.
Randy Harris trains Atlantic Ball for Kayley Harris of Caledonia, ON. Through eight starts the Presidential Ball son has posted two wins, one second and two thirds for earnings of $27,550. Through three Grassroots appearances, the colt has one win, one third and one fourth for a total of 70 points and a shot at one of the 16 spots on the starting gate in the Oct. 15 Grassroots Semifinals at Western Fair Raceway.
The two-year-old pacing colts will wrap up their regular season at Windsor Raceway on Oct. 6.
Flamboro Downs fans get their next dose of Ontario Sires Stakes excitement on Saturday, Oct. 2 when the two-year-old trotting colts square off in their second last Gold Final. The $130,000 Gold Final is slated as Race 2 on the Saturday afternoon program, which gets under way at 1 p.m.
To view Wednesday's results, click here.
(With files from OSS)