The 2021 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots season will wrap up on Saturday night (Oct. 9) at Woodbine Mohawk Park with eight divisional championship titles and $480,000 in purses up for grabs.
Portofino (PP3, Paul MacDonell) comes into Saturday's Grassroots final for two-year-old trotting fillies in stellar form, punctuated by a lifetime best 1:56.2 performance in her semi-final test. The Ken Sucee trainee will face off against nine rivals to kick off stakes action in the second race Saturday, including divisional point leader Moneyworth (PP7, Scott Young) and second semi-final winner Lovin Julie (PP9, Louis-Philippe Roy), who recovered from an early miscue to win in 1:59.4 after spotting the field some 15 lengths.
Sophomore pacing fillies face the gate in the third race, with semi-final winners Saulsbrook Olympia (PP1, Brett MacDonald) and Game Of Shadows (PP2, Louis-Philippe Roy) drawing side-by-side in the $60,000 affair. Saulsbrook Olympia comes into Saturday's Final for trainer Brian Lee with the most seasonal wins in the field (six, tied with Voluptuous) and the fastest mark (1:51.4s, tied with Cyclone Sister) while the Richard Moreau-trained Game Of Shadows boasts the best seasonal bankroll ($98,981).
Two-year-old trotting colts & geldings will take to the track in Saturday's fourth race. Archery Seelster (PP5, Louis-Philippe Roy) was the division leader at year's end with 108 points and the Marcel Barrieau pupil looks to be the one to knock off this weekend. Archery Seelster made a statement with his lifetime best 1:56.1 score in his semi-final split on September 30. The other semi-final winner, Chantal Mitchell trainee Armstead Cole (PP10, Randy Waples), wasn't as lucky with the draw.
Rookie pacing colts are featured in Saturday's fifth race, with Dynomites Peak (PP2, Bob McClure) aiming for Grassroots perfection. The Robbie Robinson pupil was unbeaten in four series starts, including his 1:52.4 semi-final score to advance to this week's final. Sports Fan (PP10, Doug McNair) picked up the other semi-final score to give trainer Blake MacIntosh his 1,000th career victory, and he'll look to help achieve that next milestone from the outermost post.
Stakes action resumes in the seventh race, with 10 sophomore trotting fillies heading postward in their final career OSS appearances. The now horse of the division is P L Opportunity (PP6, Trevor Henry). The Matt Dupuis trainee has won five of her last six starts, with three of those wins coming in OSS events. She faces stiff competition on Saturday, including fellow semi-final winner Midnight Miracle (PP9, Bob Mcclure), divisional point leader Tipsy In Dixie (PP4, TBD) and the formful I Da Princess (PP5, Jody Jamieson).
Rookie pacing filly In The Mood (PP7, James MacDonald) has certainly been in the mood to pose for photos this season, winning five of her seven starts thus far for trainer Shawn Steacy. The 10-hole wasn't an issue in last week's effort, getting up to win by a neck in a lifetime best 1:53.4. She moves three spots in for the final, and she looms the danger in Saturday's eight race. Her talented counterparts include semi-final winner Winx (PP1, Trevor Henry) and point leader Dewitt For Josie (PP3, Louis-Philippe Roy).
The last time Sweet Soul David (PP6, Louis-Philippe Roy) missed the top three in a race as a sophomore, it was spring, it was stateside, and he finished fourth by just a length. Since July, the Pat Lang pupil has been a model of consistency with a 6-2-1 summary from nine starts. He was a 1:55.3 winner in his semi-final test and finished atop the leaderboard for his division. The Prince (PP9, Paul MacDonell) kept his Grassroots record perfect by virtue of his 1:54.3 semi-final tally for trainer Chantal Mitchell, and these two colts will face off for the first time in stakes action this year when the male sophomore trotters head postward in the ninth race.
Grassroots action concludes in Race 10 on Saturday with the three-year-old pacing colts & geldings featured in the finale. Jimmy Connor B (PP3, Doug McNair) dropped back into the Grassroots after tussling with the Grand Circuit's best in the 2021 Pepsi North America Cup. The Gregg McNair trainee was a 1:50.4 winner in his semi-final test, just a tick slower than second semi-final winner Armor Seelster (PP4, Sylvain Filion). That Gabrielle Sasso pupil paced to a new mark of 1:50.3 one week ago. The final OSS event for these sophomore pacers also includes divisional point leaders No Plan Intended (PP2, Jody Jamieson), Proline (PP1, Bob McClure), Stonebridge Rex (PP8, TBD) and Saltwater Savage (PP9, Trevor Henry).
Between the Grassroots Finals, 2021 Pepsi North America Cup champ Desperate Man will tune up for an appearance in next week's OSS Super Finals against a group of conditioned foes in the evening's sixth race.
First post time for Saturday is 7 p.m.
To view the entries for Saturday's stakes-packed card of harness racing, click on the following links: Saturday Entries - Woodbine Mohawk Park / Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT).