The inaugural Prospect Series will kick off this Saturday (June 20) at Hanover Raceway with three divisions for Ontario-sired three-year-old pacing fillies.
The divisions have been carded as Race 5, 7 and 9 on the 2 p.m. program. Trainer Jack Darling will harness two fillies in the opening leg of the Prospect Series, as he is hoping for good things from both Dreamadreamforme and Twin B Hello.
“Dreamadreamforme, she actually won a Grassroots up there last year at Hanover,” said Darling. “But her first start she didn’t race very [well], so I thought I’d put them both in and see how they do and go from there. Hope they can move up, if not then they will stay in the 'Prospect.'”
Dreamadreamforme will start from Post 3 in the second $7,100 Prospect Series division with Jason Ryan in the race bike. The Betterthancheddar filly is heading into the race off of a 1:56.4 victory in her May 29 qualifier at Woodbine Mohawk Park and a fifth-place result in her sophomore debut at Georgian Downs on June 9. Last season, the filly toured the Hanover half-miler in 2:00 in the August 24 two-year-old pacing filly Grassroots event.
Ryan will steer Twin B Hello from Post 5 in the third division, and the pair will be looking to match or improve on the second-place result they posted in a June 9 start at Georgian Downs. The Sunshine Beach filly was also second in her May 29 qualifier at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
“Twin B Hello last year as a two-year-old, she was okay, but she really wasn’t even good enough for the Grassroots. She’s actually come back better this year,” noted Darling, a resident of Cambridge, Ont. that also owns both fillies. “She seems a little better, so we’ll try her in there, and if she gets better we can always upgrade to the Grassroots, but for now that’s a good spot for her.”
The Prospect Series is open to two and three-year-olds sustained to the Ontario Sires Stakes program. Like the OSS program’s Gold and Grassroots events, Prospect Series events are numbered one through five and horses may only be entered in one of the corresponding events (i.e. Prospect Series No. 1, Grassroots Series No. 1, or Gold Series No. 1). However, should a Prospect Series leg fail to attract enough entries, horses can be entered in the corresponding Grassroots or Gold Series event.
Throughout the summer, horses competing in the Prospect Series will accumulate points toward one of nine spots in their respective $15,000 final, to be held on Friday, September 25 at Grand River Raceway. As with the corresponding events, horses are only able to declare into one postseason finale — either the Prospect Series Final, Grassroots Semi-Final or Super Final.
Starting fees for the Prospect Series are $100 and each division will race for $6,500 plus starting fees. Starting fees can be paid by cheque, made out to Ontario Sires Stakes, MasterCard or Visa. Like all events conducted under the AGCO Rules of Racing, horses must meet the added-money qualifying times to be eligible for the Prospect Series.
For additional information about the Prospect Series, visit the Ontario Sires Stakes website or contact OSS program administrator Allison Glynn at [email protected].
To watch Saturday’s Prospect Series opener, tune into the Hanover Raceway live stream on the track’s website, Facebook page or YouTube channel. Programs are available for download at the Hanover Raceway website. The first race will get underway at 2 p.m. and the Prospect Series divisions will head postward for Race 5, 7 and 9.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Hanover, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Hanover Raceway.
(OSS)