Box Car Billie and Sportsman will join their three-year-old pacing colt peers at Georgian Downs on Tuesday night for the fifth Grassroots skirmish of the season, but trainer Bruce MacDonald does not think racing over their local oval will serve any advantage after the post position draw handed the geldings a pair of tough assignments.
Box Car Billie will start from Post 5 in the second $20,000 division, which features recent winner Giddy Up Lucky from Post 4, and division point leader Excel Nine from Post 9.
“He’s in with that Giddy Up Lucky who just won here in 1:51.1,” says MacDonald. “Right around 1:55 ties him up, and they are going to go a lot faster in there.”
Box Car Billie has two seconds under his belt through the first four Grassroots events, and MacDonald says the Rambaran son gives all he has in each start, but just falls short of the top colts, especially off the half-mile tracks that are his specialty.
“He came out of the Maritimes last year,” notes MacDonald. “All we were hoping for was a Grassrooter, and he looked like he could scoot around a half pretty good. He’s better off at Flamboro, Grand River, or Clinton for that matter.”
Mardon Stables of Loretto and Daniel MacIsaac of Charlottetown, PEI purchased Box Car Billie at the end of his freshman campaign, which saw him rack up three wins, six seconds, one third and earnings of $9,721 in 10 starts. This season the gelding boasts a record of two wins, two seconds and one third for earnings of $21,680 through 15 outings.
Box Car Billie has been shut out of the top three in his last three starts, and MacDonald doesn’t see that trend changing on Tuesday given the level of competition the gelding faces.
“It is what it is,” says the Alliston resident philosophically. “It’s getting down to crunch time and the competition is getting stiffer.”
While MacDonald is philosophical about Box Car Billie’s chances in Tuesday’s contest, the trainer cannot help but feel a little frustrated by the hand Sportsman has been dealt in Ontario Sires Stakes action this summer. In three Grassroots starts, the Camluck son has landed Post 6 at Western Fair Raceway, Post 8 at Flamboro Raceway, and Post 5 at Hanover Raceway, and he will start from Post 8 at Georgian Downs on Tuesday.
“He’s got the worst luck of any horse I’ve raced in the last couple of years,” laments the horseman. “He’s really not a bad horse; he’s just got terrible luck.”
Sportsman’s best finish in Grassroots action was a third at Flamboro Downs on Aug. 1. A son of $486,047 winner Gothic Lady, who is a sister to $3 million winning super-sire Artsplace, Sportsman has recorded one win, five seconds and four thirds for a total of $22,206 through 17 sophomore starts. His sole victory came at Georgian Downs on July 22, when he circled the Innisfil oval in a smart 1:52.4.
“He finally got a decent post, got to the lead and was really strong,” recalls MacDonald. “And he raced great just two starts back, in the Bud Light. He was in real tough and finished fourth, paced a mile in 1:54.2 and came home in :28.3.”
MacDonald would love to see the colt jump up with a big mile on Tuesday, but scoring a victory from Post 8 in a tough assignment in a field that includes former Gold Series regular Lyons Geoff from Post 1 and former Grassroots division winners Richlyn Hugh and Star Reward from Posts 3 and 9.
“They both have to jump right up and win the next two, here and Sarnia right after (Oct. 9),” explains the horseman, who conditions Sportsman for Mardon Stables, City Slickers Stable of Mississauga and Eugene Fewster of Caledon East. “They have to jump right up and win both times to make it to the Semifinal.”
Box Car Billie and Sportsman will tackle their difficult assignments in the second and third of seven Grassroots events on the program at Georgian Downs on Tuesday — Races 1 through 4, 6, 8, and 9. A total of $140,000 in provincial purse money will be up for grabs on the mid-week card, which gets under way at 7:25 p.m.
To view Tuesday’s entries,
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