Many of the fillies entered in Tuesday’s Grassroots event at Kawartha Downs will wrap up their Ontario Sires Stakes careers over the Fraserville oval, but trainer Mike Wade is hoping that OK Amelia will not be among them.
With a total of 42 points earned from one second, one third and one fifth in her first three Grassroots engagements, the Aces N Sevens miss could earn her way into the postseason with a top two finish over her local oval. The current cut off for one of 16 berths in the Oct. 16 Semifinals at Flamboro Downs is 62 points.
“Tuesday at Kawartha is crucial as far as points go,” notes Little Britain resident Wade. “We’re hoping for the best. We would have liked a better post position, but I don’t think she’ll disappoint anybody.”
OK Amelia will start from Post 6 in the second last $20,000 Grassroots division, lining up alongside a veteran field that includes number five and six ranked fillies Keystone Samurai and St Lads Seraph, who will start from Posts 4 and 8. Rick Webb will steer OK Amelia in the regular season finale, and Wade expects to see the pair employ a come from behind strategy.
“She’s shown some decent miles coming from off the pace. She’s fairly versatile,” says Wade, who trains OK Amelia for breeder Oak Knoll Stables of Campbellcroft. “She’s healthy and sound, and she certainly doesn’t seem like she’s worn out.”
OK Amelia started her sophomore campaign with a win at Georgian Downs on April 26, and through 16 starts she has added three more victories, four seconds and two thirds to her resume for $37,965 in total earnings. The filly delivered her personal best mile over the Kawartha Downs oval on July 12, capturing an overnight event in 1:54.3.
“She’s one of those kind of horses that makes the trainer look good,” says Wade with a chuckle. “She’s not one that needs to train too hard.”
Wade adds that keeping a horse fresh for the seven month long Ontario Sires Stakes season is always a juggling act, and with OK Amelia tending toward the slight side of the spectrum to start with, he has chosen to err on the side of a less rigorous training regimen.
“She’s not a real strong filly to look at, she’s a little slender,” he explains. “And when fillies are a little slender to begin with, I don’t think a lot of training is necessary. You walk a fine line between keeping them as fit as you can, and at the same time keeping them fresh and happy.”
OK Amelia heads into Tuesday’s battle off a solid start in a Sept. 29 overnight at Mohawk Racetrack, where she closed hard to finish third in a field of Grassroots starters, stepping off her mile in a smart 1:53.2.
“She’s just a wonderful filly,” Wade adds. “She’s never made any mistakes in anything she has done. She has just been a natural with everything.”
The three-year-old pacing fillies wrap up their Grassroots regular season in Races 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 on Tuesday. The talented distaffers will step onto the Kawartha Downs oval for the first $20,000 contest at 4:15 pm.
To view Kawartha’s entries, click here.
(OSS)