The Ontario Sires Stakes 50th Anniversary celebration tour is making its penultimate stop on Friday, Sept. 6 at Grand River Raceway.
The nine-race card will be highlighted by two $95,000 OSS Gold Series divisions for rookie male trotters and two Gold divisions for two-year-old trotting fillies with $95,000 on the line in each of those races as well.
Three-time defending Lampman Cup winning driver James MacDonald will be featured prominently on Friday, competing in three of the four Gold divisions.
MacDonald will be in the bike seat behind the Dominic Gladu-trained Chicago Hall (Muscle Mass-Caterina Hall) in the evening's first race for male trotters, trainer Francis Dumouchel's TH Monica (Green Manalishi S-Bluebird D Train) in the third race for trotting fillies and then back with the boys in race four with Call Me Parker (Musical Rhythm-Im Peekers) for the Ben Baillargeon stable.
“[Chicago Hall] has been good, he’s shown flashes of brilliance, but hasn’t quite lived up to his full potential yet,” said MacDonald of the maiden gelding. “He’s a nice horse and if things work out, he can get a big chunk of it, for sure.”
MacDonald also commented on TH Monica, who earned her first career win at the Grassroots level earlier this summer before taking on Gold foes.
“TH Monica, I’ve driven a bunch of times. A friend just took her over to Grand River last Wednesday and tuned her up and she qualified really well. So, they’re expecting a really good effort from her and hopefully she brings her 'A' game, and if she does, I think she’s one of the horses to beat.
“[As for Call Me Parker], he’s been pretty good," said MacDonald of the maiden colt, who was a runner-up in a July leg of the Gold Series. "He’s coming into the race good and though it’s a tough bunch I think with a good trip he could definitely get a real good piece.”
The final Gold division on Friday goes as race six for filly trotters.
MacDonald hails from Guelph, Ont., just about a half hour away from Grand River, and got his start racing at the now five-eighths-mile oval.
“I’ve had a lot of great memories [at Grand River Raceway],” said MacDonald. “I’ve won the Battle of Waterloo, I’ve won the Battle of the Belles three times now, I’ve won a lot of Golds there and it’s one of the tracks I kind of started driving at and having some luck. So, I have some fond memories at Grand River and hopefully it’s just the beginning of the fond memories.”
In advance of Friday’s celebrations, noted Canadian harness racing writer and historian Robert Smith wrote a brief history of Grand River Raceway, which can be read by clicking here.
Post time for the Friday card at Grand River is 6:30 p.m. Click here for a copy of the program. Live streaming of the races is available on the GRR Video Youtube channel and HPIbet.
To view Friday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Friday Entries - Grand River Raceway.
(With files from Ontario Racing)