Pacing fillies will be the stars of the show at Georgian Downs on Tuesday (July 6) as the Innisfil oval kicks off its stakes season with five $22,000 Grassroots divisions for the 2-year-old lasses and three $7,200 Prospect Series divisions for the 3-year-olds.
Trainer Murray Brethour has a trio of 2-year-old pacing fillies ready to make their racing debut in the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots divisions and the Sunderland, Ont. resident said Creme Delight, Shortys Girl and Goudawon have all been diligent pupils through their early lessons.
“I am not sure how good they are, but they’ve done everything I wanted so far. They’re on schedule,” said Brethour. “They’re not quite ready to tackle the Golds yet — I don’t know whether they are Gold ones —but all three of them are going pretty good. I am happy with all three of them so far.”
Creme Delight will lead the Brethour starters onto the racetrack, scoring from post 2 in the second $22,150 Grassroots division (Race 2). The Bettors Delight daughter has one qualifier under her belt, a third-place result in 1:59.4 at Kawartha Downs on June 26, and Brethour said she may be a step behind her peers heading into the season opener.
“The other two, they are a little further ahead than her. She’s just going to need a start or two,” Brethour said. “She looks like a nice filly, perfect to drive.”
Brethour trains Creme Delight for his daughter Rachel Brethour of Sunderland, Dean Lockhart and Wayne Carleton of Collingwood and Dean Campbell of Orleans, Ont., who offered up $25,000 for the filly at last fall’s Ontario Select Yearling Sale.
Unlike their stablemate, both Shortys Girl and Goudawon have qualified twice, June 19 at Kawartha Downs and June 24 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
“They both seem like nice fillies. It’s just a matter whether they can step up and be Golds or not, but we’ll know by the end of the year,” said Brethour. “The Goudawon filly, she’s got lots of talent. She looks at things, but she can go fast.”
Goudawon was a 1:59.3 winner in her first qualifying attempt and finished third in the June 24 outing. Owner-breeder Mark Lane of Norwood, Ont. owns the daughter of Betterthancheddar who will start from post 5 in the fourth Grassroots division (Race 5). Chris Christoforou will steer Goudawon, while Georgian Downs regular Austin Sorrie handles driving duties on the other Brethour trainees.
Shortys Girl, a Sportswriter daughter owned and bred by Noblock Racing Stable of Collingwood, will start from the outside post 9 in the third Grassroots split (Race 4).
Brethour will also send two 3-year-old pacing fillies out in the Ontario Racing Prospect Series season opener on Tuesday. First up is Carwins Lucky Luna, who gets post 4 in the first division, and Money Honey will wrap things up from post 4 in the last division.
Money Honey heads in to the Prospect Series off a 1:55.4 victory at Kawartha Downs on June 26, her first win in five starts. Brethour bred the Sportswriter daughter and shares ownership with Melvin Varcoe of Thornton and Keith Cowden of Oro-Medonte, Ont.
“Money Honey, she’s got a couple little issues, but she’s coming along pretty good,” said the trainer. “She’s not quite ready for Toronto, for the Grassroots. They’ll probably go in 1:53 and I don’t know whether she’s ready for that, so that’s why I threw her in up there.”
In 15 starts, Carwins Lucky Luna has yet to find the winner’s circle, and Brethour said a top-five effort will be what he and owner-breeder Dennis Caruana of Orono, Ont. are looking for on Tuesday.
“The Luna mare, she seems like she’s got one speed, she just doesn’t seem to have a quick burst,” said Brethour of the Sportswriter daughter. “She’s good to drive and everything, but just doesn’t seem to have a quick burst.”
The 2-year-old pacing fillies will kick off Tuesday’s program at 7:15 p.m. (EDT) in the first race and continue their Grassroots battles in Races 2, 4, 5 and 7. The Prospect Series divisions for the 3-year-old pacing fillies go postward in Races 3, 6 and 9.
(Ontario Sires Stakes)
To view Tuesday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Tuesday Entries - Georgian Downs.