On Friday, Oct. 1, the top three-year-old Grassroots horses will square off in eight $20,000 Grassroots Semi-Finals at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and trainers Carl Jamieson and Brian Lee are hoping their horses can advance out of the Ontario Sires Stakes program’s toughest divisions.
Jamieson will send No Plan Intended out from post seven in the first three-year-old pacing colt Semi-Final, while Lee's Saulsbrook Olympia takes on the best three-year-old pacing fillies from post five in their first showdown.
No Plan Intended wrapped up the Grassroots regular season at the top of the pacing colt point standings with two wins, two seconds and one fifth for a total of 155 points. Puslinch, Ont. resident Jamieson bred and owns the gelding in partnership with Brian Paquet of Quebec City, Que., and the Hall of Fame horseman expects another consistent performance from the Up The Credit son on Friday.
“He’s a real game horse and he tries hard. And he can go pretty good too, so I think he’s got a good shot in there,” said Jamieson. “His best quality is that he’s a good racehorse, he always finishes well. Doesn’t matter what kind of race it is, he always finishes well.”
Jamieson has won a handful of Grassroots Championships over the years and said one of the biggest challenges in taking a horse from the start of the Ontario Sires Stakes season into the Championship winner’s circle is keeping them healthy as the weather changes and temperatures start to fluctuate.
“Have them healthy is the main thing to do, that’s the hardest part,” said Jamieson. “Some of my horses have been fighting allergies and flu, or whatever, for the last three, four weeks.”
Lee agreed with Jamieson’s assessment, noting that Saulsbrook Olympia regularly battles allergies and hit an especially rough stretch in September.
“She’s been a little bit of a problem that way, but she was on some antibiotics between the two starts there (September 10 and 17). I think it just helped clean her up a bit more. She seemed a lot better last time, but I am just hoping she can stay healthy for the next two weeks,” said Orangeville, Ont. resident Lee. “You do so much for them and you can still have troubles.”
The Big Jim daughter recorded one win, two seconds, one fourth and one seventh in Grassroots action, finishing in eighth spot in the standings with 95 points. The victory came in the September 17 leg where she recorded a personal best 1:51.4 in a dead heat for the win with last year’s Grassroots champion Cyclone Sister. Cyclone Sister will start to Saulsbrook Olympia’s right, at post nine, on Friday.
“She’s kind of a trip horse and she likes to chase horses. I always say she likes a target, so I think she can, hopefully, get a nice covered up trip and hopefully she’ll kick for home like she did last time and qualify for the Finals. That’s what we’re looking for anyways,” said Lee of Saulsbrook Olympia, who also captured the 2021 Kin Pace final at Clinton Raceway in early July. “She’s a good gaited filly, she’s got high speed. Like I said, she’s a trip horse, but if you can keep her covered up she’s got a hell of a kick to her, if she’s healthy.”
Lee trains the filly for breeder Allan McNeil and his father Bill McNeil’s Saulsbrook Stables Inc. of Windsor, N.S., and Edward Gorc of Sudbury, Ont. Regular reinsman Brett MacDonald will be back in the race bike and the Freelton, Ont. resident will be looking for his first win in the Ontario Sires Stakes post season.
The three-year-old trotting filly Semi-Finals will open Friday’s program in Races 1 and 3, followed by the three-year-old pacing fillies in Races 4 and 5. The sophomore trotting colts square off in Races 7 and 10 and the three-year-old pacing colts close things out in Races 9 and 12. The top five finishers in each contest will advance to their respective $60,000 Grassroots Championship at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday, Oct. 9.
Friday’s action gets under way at 7 p.m. and fans can download a program and watch the live stream of the Grassroots Semi-Finals on Woodbine Mohawk Park’s website.
To view Friday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Friday Entries - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(OSS)