Moms Apple Pie jumped to the top of the three-year-old trotting filly point standings with her third Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots win of the season on Friday evening, circling the Grand River Raceway oval in 1:58.3.
With Robert Shepherd in the race bike, the Striking Sahbra daughter sprinted past Cardio Pump in the stretch to snatch the half-length victory from the pacesetter. I Like My Kaddy rounded out the top three.
Bill Budd conditions Moms Apple Pie for William Dixon of Caledon, Ont. and has sent the filly out 11 times this season, watching her post three wins, two seconds and $41,460. Friday’s triumph boosted her Grassroots point tally to 200, 13 more than former division leader Muscle Magic.
Wind Stroll posted the quickest mile of the five Grassroots divisions, stopping the Grand River teletimer at 1:57.2 in race two. Jean Bernard Renaud piloted the Muscle Mass daughter to the win, her third in four Grassroots starts. Julie Walker trains Wind Stroll for Tony Holmes and Walter Zent of Lexington, Ketucky and will be prepping the winner of $63,900 for the Sept. 21 Grassroots Championship.
Hetties Honey heads into the post season tied for third with Wind Stroll after recording a 2:00.4 win in the fourth $18,000 division. The Duke Of York daughter and driver Larry Small cruised home four and one-half lengths ahead of the their peers to the delight of trainer Mario Macri and owner Harness Horsepower Inc. of Campbellville, Ont.
The other two Grassroots divisions went to Standing My Ground (Dave Boughton) and Be Winnin (Trevor Ritchie), both clocked in 1:59.2, but the 50 points they earned from the effort were not enough to propel either filly into one of the 10 berths available in the Sept. 21 Grassroots Championships.
Grassroots action continues at Grand River Raceway on Monday, Sept. 9 with six divisions for the two-year-old trotting colts. Post time for the first race is 7:05 p.m.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Grand River Raceway.
(OSS)