Ontario’s talented two-year-old trotting fillies put on an impressive show at Dresden Raceway on Monday afternoon with close finishes in six of the seven $24,000 Grassroots divisions on the Labour Day card
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The only filly to reach the wire with victory well in hand was Jazzy Duke, whose 2:03.3 effort was the quickest of the divisions. The Duke Of York daughter and driver Ron Waples were two and one-half lengths ahead of Anotherdayinthered and fan favourite Promising Lass, who made an impressive recovery from an early break.
Hall of Fame horseman Bob McIntosh shares ownership of Jazzy Duke with Dave Boyle of Bowmanville, ON and C S X Stables of Liberty Center, OH. The Windsor, ON resident gave the filly an advance tour of the Dresden oval on Aug. 2, where she earned her first victory with a 2:06.1 effort in an overnight event. Through two Grassroots appearances Jazzy Duke now has one win and one sixth-place result.
Ron Waples also captured the third race with Wild Logic, a Malabar Maple daughter that he also bred, owns and trains. Wild Logic closed hard in the stretch to nab pacesetter Cedars Chip and stop the clock at 2:07. Babes Diamond Road also had to recover from an early error to grab the third-place finisher’s share of the $24,000 purse for trainer Frederick Snelgrove and Patricia Snelgrove of Dresden, ON.
Wild Logic made her debut in the Aug. 14 Grassroots event at Flamboro Downs, where she finished fourth in spite of suffering interference. Monday’s victory boosted the filly’s Grassroots point tally to 58 and her lifetime earnings to $13,920.
Some Like It Hot made a successful transition from the Gold Series to the Grassroots, capturing the first division with a 2:05 score. Trainer-driver Lyle MacArthur and Some Like It Hot reeled in Rise N Shine and favourite Edens Cover Girl, who is owned by Chasin The Dream Stable of Oil Springs, ON, Danterra Racing Stable of Strathroy, ON, and Edenridge Farms of Charlottesville, VA, to secure the three-quarter length win.
MacArthur conditions Some Like It Hot for Linda Wellwood of St. George Brant, ON, Tammy Aspden of Caistor Centre, ON, Anne Shunock of Dorchester, ON and Diane Ingham of Mount Pleasant, ON. Monday’s victory was the Ken Warkentin daughter’s first in five outings.
Duchess Of Dundee also halted the Dresden teletimer at 2:05 with a front end effort in the second division. The Duke Of York lass hit the wire one length ahead of fan favourite Abbeycrest and four and three-quarter lengths up on Magical Paige.
John Bax trains Duchess Of Dundee for breeders Wescott LLC of Neenah, WI, and started the filly’s provincial campaign in the July 16 Gold Eliminations at Flamboro Downs. Duchess Of Dundee finished sixth in that test, so her second outing was in the Grassroots contest at Rideau Carleton Raceway on July 30, where she finished third. A miscue in the Aug. 13 Grassroots event at Flamboro Downs saw her finish sixth, giving her a total of 62 points heading into the last two regular season events.
Cook Off sprinted hard down the stretch in the fifth race to steal a neck victory from pacesetter and fan favourite J N Payton. The fillies’ speed duel, which saw them hit the wire in 2:06.3, left third-place finisher Barbies Korvett six and one-half lengths to the rear.
Also a Grassroots winner at Rideau Carleton on July 30, Cook Off is owned by the Henry Stable of Arthur, ON and Mike Mattine of Burlington, ON. Wayne Henry trains the Holy Guacamolie lass, who now boasts a Grassroots point total of 108.
Last Chance Babie jumped into second spot in the point standings with her 2:05.4 score in the seventh race on Monday. The Sugarcane Leonard daughter and driver Dave “Mr. OSS” Wall took full advantage of Post 1 and led the field from start to finish, hitting the wire three-quarters of a length ahead of Althea M and three more lengths up on Mutinys Child.
Vaughn Marshall and Mark Marshall of Campbellville, ON bred and own Last Chance Babie, who has two wins and one second in four Grassroots outings. David Frey trains the youngster, who has earned $31,625 in six starts.
The other Grassroots division saw Out Of The Kitchen travel the long way around the Dresden oval to earn a half length victory over fan favourite, and division point leader, Dabrina. Pacesetter Incredible Emmy Go had to settle for third in the 2:07 mile. Trainer Mark Steacy teamed the Here Comes Herbie lass to her first victory for owner-breeders David and Peter Heffering of Port Perry, ON.
The two-year-old trotting fillies make their second last Grassroots start at Georgian Downs on Sept. 17. The fillies’ impressive Labour Day performances wrapped up Dresden Raceway’s 2010 Ontario Sires Stakes schedule, which also saw fans entertained by the two and three-year-old pacing fillies.
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To view Monday’s results, click here.