“Usually the pacers have the better brain, but not this year, the trotters seem to be doing a lot a better. It’s unique, but that’s good.”
Clinton Raceway is hosting Ontario Sires Stakes Super Sunday this weekend, and the stars of the show will be six divisions of two-year-old trotting colts and geldings competing in their second Grassroots event.
Heather Toll will harness two colts during the Super Sunday festivities, and the Dungannon, Ont. resident is hoping hometown advantage pays off for Heineken Seelster and Warrawee Rob.
“I would think hometown advantage is kind of nice,” said the trainer. “With baby trotters Clinton is always tough, and so is the swimming pool because they’re all a little leery of that, but hopefully due to the fact that we’re around it all the time it won’t be so scary.
“Hopefully there’s a hometown advantage, but you never know. We’ll know Sunday afternoon,” she added with a chuckle.
Heineken Seelster will make his second Grassroots start from Post 3 in the second $18,000 Grassroots division for Toll and owners Stan Henderson of Denfield, Ont. and Susan Clarke of Strathroy, Ont. The colt, a Federal Flex half-brother to Goodtimes Stakes winner Hemi Seelster, finished fifth in his provincial debut at Georgian Downs on July 11.
“Stan Henderson does a lot of the breeding at Seelster, and he’s the one that picked him out,” said Toll of Heineken Seelster, who was an $8,000 purchase from the Forest City Yearling Sale. “He’s been their vet for years, but it’s his first Standardbred and we ended up with him in our barn, so that’s nice.”
Warrawee Rob has drawn Post 2 in the third split, and will be looking to match or better the fourth-place result he posted in the Georgian Downs event. Janet and Murray Bradshaw of Waterford, Ont. own the Angus Hall son through their 574238 Ontario Inc. company and offered up $13,000 to acquire him from the Canadian Yearling Sale.
Brantford, Ont. resident Scott Coulter drove both colts in their Grassroots debut and will be back in the race bike on Sunday.
“There’s a third filly that Murray owns as well, with his brother, Dave, and the three trotters basically trained together all winter and have a good head on their shoulders, so that really helps,” noted Toll. “And it’s surprising because the three trotters were the first — well, three out of the first four babies of our eight — that made it. Usually the pacers have the better brain, but not this year, the trotters seem to be doing a lot a better. It’s unique, but that’s good.”
The colts will be hoping to continue the stable’s successful start in front of their hometown cheering section, which will also be entertained by a host of Ontario Sires Stakes giveaways. The first fans to arrive will receive a free OSS t-shirt with their program purchase, OSS ball caps will be awarded to the winners of trackside trivia contest ‘Guess with Jess,’ and young fans can join in an OSS colouring contest.
The two-year-old trotting colts will be featured in Races 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, and 9 on Sunday’s program, with the first division rolling in behind the Clinton Raceway starting gate at 1:30 p.m.
To view the harness racing entries for Sunday at Clinton, click the following link: Sunday Entries – Clinton Raceway.
(OSS)