The Prospect Series arrives at Dresden Raceway on Sunday, June 21 with two $7,100 divisions for Ontario Sired three-year-old pacing colts.
Among the hopefuls is Last Three, who heads into the first division off an effortless June 13 victory at Hiawatha Horse Park for trainer Dan Kenney and driver Marc St. Louis. The 1:58.2 clocking was the first start back for the gelding, who was on an impressive run when racing shut down in March. On March 9, Last Three posted a sharp 1:57 victory at The Raceway at Western Fair District and on March 19 he sprinted home in :26.4 to be fifth at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
“He’s just been getting better as he’s come along. He raced really big at London right at the end of the meet and then I took him up to Toronto and we raced him off the back end and he came a big back half, a big last quarter, and the driver felt that he’s a Toronto horse,” said Kenney. “Last week I raced him at Sarnia, it was his first start back in three months, and he just raced him easy, went to the front and kind of backed the half off and then just let him pace a little the back half, and he won it quite handily.
“And so hopefully this week, I hope he’s a lot better. He’ll be a little tighter and he gets around a half really well,” added the LaSalle resident. “He’s a big horse and he can pace the turns better than the straightaways.”
Kenney conditions Last Three for Windsor resident Mark Peel, who purchased the son of Mach Three in February. In five starts for his new connections Last Three has only missed one cheque, logging two wins, one fourth, one fifth and one seventh.
“I think the big fella is going to be a nice horse this year. I’m not a driver, and they’re different when they’re in a horse race, but from the drivers, what they say, they all like him,” said Kenney. “I know the night he win in 1:57 at London, Marc St. Louis said he could have went more.”
St. Louis will steer Last Three from Post 3 in the first Prospect Series division Sunday, slated as Race 4 on the 1:00 p.m. program. The other Prospect Series division goes postward as Race 9. Horses competing in the Prospect Series this summer will accumulate points toward the Sept. 25 final, but Kenney is hoping that Last Three can make the leap to the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Series for the second leg.
“I am thinking of that and the owner is thinking that way too,” said Kenney. “He’s starting the year off good.”
Although fans cannot be trackside to watch Last Three and his peers compete on Sunday, they can catch the live stream on Dresden Raceway’s website, which also offers a downloadable program.
To view the entries for Sunday's program, Sunday’s 1:00 p.m. click the following link: Sunday Entries - Dresden Raceway.
(OSS)