Richard Renwick is not sure how Dillavec stacks up against the field in Dresden Raceway's Ontario Sires Stakes season opener this Sunday, but the Merlin resident is certainly happy to have the three-year-old trotting gelding racing close to home.
"It's nice not to have to drive too far," says Renwick, who made the trip to Ottawa to watch Dillavec race in his last Grassroots start and to London for the gelding's OSS debut in May.
A winner in the May 27 season opener at Western Fair Raceway, and fourth in the June 22 Grassroots event at Ottawa's Rideau Carleton Raceway, Dillavec has also competed at Georgian Downs in Innisfil and at Campbellville's Mohawk Racetrack.
Through eight starts, the Mr Lavec son has posted one win, one second, one third, three fourths and one fifth for earnings of $18,750. With a win and a fourth in the first two Grassroots events, the brother to $152,797 winner Flirting Lavec currently sits fourth in the race toward a berth in the lucrative post season.
Renwick shares ownership on Dillavec with his friends Ronald Peltier of Pain Court and Brian Bartlett of Charing Cross, and with trainer Paul Walker of Owen Sound. While Renwick has owned a couple of horses in the past, Peltier and Bartlett are new to harness racing and the pair is thoroughly enjoying Dillavec's early season success.
"My wife said, they don't even know what it's like to be bad," notes Renwick, adding that his first venture into ownership was on a horse that never saw the racetrack. "To have a couple or three starts go by where you finish seventh or eighth."
Dillavec has only missed a cheque on one occasion, in a June 5 overnight at Mohawk Racetrack where he made a break heading for the three-quarters and finished eighth.
"I'm a little bit of a novice, but he's a nice looking horse. He looks very fit, and very sleek, and very healthy," says the owner. "And he seems to be very good gaited. He really struggles to make a break; he doesn't want to break."
Walker will steer Dillavec from Post 1 in the first $20,000 Grassroots division on Sunday, facing off against a number of horses they have already seen in the first two events on the provincial circuit. Lubbock, who will start from Post 3, got the better of Dillavec in Ottawa, but Dillavec easily disposed of Dream Of Davey, who gets Post 4, at Western Fair.
Renwick is not sure what strategy Walker will employ from the advantageous rail position at Dresden, noting that the gelding seems to adopt a slightly different personality for each race.
"Paul says he's different every time he comes out, but I think Paul is getting to understand him a little better," explains Renwick. "He was third last night (July 1) at Georgian Downs. He came on like gangbusters in the straightaway. He's a little more trouble in the turns than you would like, but he can come home like crazy.
"This may be as good as it gets," continues Renwick, "But hopefully he can get better and take another step up."
Dillavec and his peers in the second race will kick off Dresden Raceway's first Grassroots event of the season on Sunday, with the other divisions slated as Races 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Post time for the first race at the Dresden oval is 1 p.m.
To view Sunday's entries, click here.
(OSS)