After being hampered by traffic trouble in his last two Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots outings, two-year-old pacing colt Rude Boy is hoping for a smoother trip around his hometown oval in the regular season finale on Tuesday night.
The colt will line up behind Post 8 on the Georgian Downs starting gate in the last $24,000 Grassroots division and owner-breeder Mike Timpano is hoping he gets a traffic-free tour in his final regular season outing.
“We’ve had bad racing luck with him,” says the Phelpston, Ont. resident. “Hopefully we have better luck this week.”
The homebred son of Armbro Deuce and Real Queen started his Grassroots campaign with a runner-up finish in the July 4 season opener at Flamboro Downs and followed that up with a 1:57.1 win at Kawartha Downs on July 21. In his third provincial start Rude Boy delivered another second-place effort over the Mohawk Racetrack oval on Aug. 13, but ran into trouble in his next outing. Rolling by the three-quarter pole in third spot at Sudbury Downs on Aug. 22, Rude Boy suffered interference when pacesetter Panocchio went off stride. Rude Boy and regular reinsman Aaron Byron lost a dozen lengths on the field and paced under the wire in fifth. Then in the Labour Day Monday event at Dresden Raceway the colt got stuck on the rail and finished fourth.
With a total of 113 points, Rude Boy is virtually assured of a berth in the Sept. 21 Semifinal at Grand River Raceway, and Timpano is hoping the colt is due for a run of positive luck.
“I just hope that we’ve used up our bad luck,” says the owner. “And hopefully we get to Grand River and get a better post.”
The top four finishers from each Semifinal will advance to the $100,000 Grassroots Championship at Grand River Raceway on Sept. 29 and Timpano is hoping Rude Boy can use his size and skill to land one of the eight spots in the lucrative final.
“He’s an average size, but very well built,” notes the horseman. “I’ve had a lot of Armbro Deuce’s and they tend to be big. He’s kind of a nicer size, a little easier to work with on the half-mile.”
Thornton, Ont. native Byron will be back in the race bike on Tuesday, facing off against a field of seven that includes former Grassroots winners Starlite Kid from Post 1, Urbana Bayama from Post 5, and Deuce Is Loose from Post 6.
Phelpston, Ont. resident Symon Pryjma trains Rude Boy and will have the winner of $28,600 ready to rumble from his outside post position.
“He’s better from a little bit off the pace,” notes Timpano.
“We’ve been pleased with him,” adds the owner. “He always trained down like he was a decent colt.”
Rude Boy and his peers will battle in the 10th race on Georgian Downs’ Tuesday evening program. The other Grassroots divisions will go postward as Races 3, 4, 6, and 9. The ninth race features a showdown between third-ranked Sly Ruler and fifth-ranked Panpero Firpo, who both come into the event with two straight Grassroots victories to their credit.
Georgian Downs sends the first race on its Tuesday, Sept. 11 program behind the starting gate at 7:25 p.m.
To view Tuesday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Tuesday Entries - Georgian Downs.
(OSS)