SEPT. 24, 2016 – Eight Ontario Sire Stakes Grassroots champions were crowned at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday evening and fan favourites delivered impressive victories in seven of the $50,000 harness racing finals.
Heavy favourite Anikadabra opened the festivities with a commanding three and one-quarter length victory over Stritch and Late Shift in the two-year-old trotting filly division. In rein to Rick Zeron of Oakville, the daughter of Kadabra and Anikawiesahalee stopped the Mohawk teletimer at 1:57.4 to capture her fourth straight victory.
"They're the type you love to train, she just does nothing wrong," said trainer Rob Fellows. "All summer as a two-year-old you worry about every little thing, but she's been good.
"We've had a lot of luck out of that family," added the Rockwood, ON resident. "Wilsonator to Vimy Ridge to Hillsonator to Legzy, you know they just go on and on."
Bred and owned by Edward Wilson of Seagrave, ON and Michael Pozefsky of Saratoga Springs, NY, Anikadabra's mother has five siblings that earned more than $100,000, including the 2013 sophomore trotting filly Grassroots champion Legzy, and her first foal is the $1.7 million winner Resolve. Anikadabra maintained the family's winning tradition through her freshman season, posting a record of five wins and one third in seven starts for earnings of $71,840.
Anikadabra
P L Jerico scored the only upset of the Championships in the three-year-old trotting colt division, surviving a first-over trip to reel in fan favourite and defending champion Muscles For Life. P L Jerico hit the wire in 1:55, one-half length ahead of Muscles For Life and three-quarters of a length up on Mass Balance. Campbellville resident Mike Saftic crafted the upset for trainer Matt Dupuis of Rockwood and owner-breeder Prince Lee Acres of Uxbridge, ON.
"I was hoping to be second over behind Per (Henriksen and Windsun Missile), but he wouldn't flush, he just stayed in. We had to pull, if he (Saftic) didn't pull he had no choice, so the horse toughed it out," said Dupuis. "He has bad allergies, the heat's really hard on that horse, and this is the coolest night we've had all summer, so it worked out perfect."
Like Anikadabra, P L Jerico hails from a family with a long history in the Ontario Sires Stakes. His mother, Corinas Mission, captured the Gold Series Super Final as a three-year-old in 2002. With Saturday's victory, the Manofmanymissions gelding boosted his record to five wins, four seconds – one of them in last Friday's Semi-final – and two thirds in 16 sophomore starts for earnings of $85,470.
P L Jerico
Dudesalady scored her third straight victory in the two-year-old pacing filly Championship, holding off Anderson Seelster by a neck. Village Jamie finished two lengths behind the duelling leaders, who hit the wire in 1:54.2.
"She's just a nice filly, she looks after herself, she sleeps a lot you know," said trainer Susanne Kerwood, who conditions the filly for M And L Of Delaware LLC of Wilmington, DE and Victoria Dickinson of Greenville, DE. "I really think she's going to come back to be a real nice filly, I think next year she might be a Gold.
"I had a lot of confidence in her today, maybe too much," added the Rockwood resident with a laugh, "But she got the job done."
The win gives Dudesalady, a daughter of Shadow Play and Accountable, a record of five wins, two seconds and one third in eight starts for earnings of $61,910. Moffat resident Jody Jamieson piloted the filly to both her Semi-final and Final victories.
Dudesalady
Magical Steph rewarded the faith of both Mohawk Racetrack fans and trainer Gary Lance in the three-year-old trotting filly Final. The daughter of Kadabra and I Like Stephanie overcame two off-season surgeries to capture the Grassroots title with a 1:55.4 effort.
"She's really good right now. She's been all summer getting over those surgeries," said Port Perry resident Lance, who also owns the filly through his GL Racing Inc. "That was a pretty good mile out there tonight; she went as fast as the colts."
Magical Steph and driver Trevor Henry of Arthur finished one length in front of a charging Roadmapper and four lengths ahead of Magical Valentine. Henry also piloted the filly to victory in the Semi-final round.
Magical Steph
Many A Man was the only regular season division point leader to earn a Grassroots title, sailing along on the front end to a 1:57.3 personal best in the two-year-old trotting colt Final. Randy Waples crafted the victory, which saw the Manofmanymissions son hit the wire one-half length ahead of Santini and Radical Road, for trainer Bob McIntosh of Windsor and his partners Dave Boyle of Bowmanville, ON and C S X Stables of Liberty Center, OH.
"I was actually hoping to race him from off the pace, that's why I didn't really bomb him out of there," said Milton resident Waples. "I think that's his better trip than being in front, because he kind of gets lost sometimes when he's up there, but there wasn't a hole, so go to Plan B. The beauty of him is that you've got a Plan B; if it doesn't work out the first way then you've got another way to go, because he races good both ways. He's just a really, really nice animal."
The win was the third straight and the fifth in nine starts for Many A Man, who wraps up his freshman campaign with earnings of $64,940.
Many A Man
The three-year-old pacing fillies delivered a thrilling finish in the sixth final, with the top five finishers crossing the wire separated by just one and one-quarter lengths. When the dust settled Semi-final winner Forever Liza emerged victorious, with Semi-final winner Free Show and Selling The Dream in a dead-heat for second, just a head behind the winner. Windsun Glory was fourth and Killean Finale rounded out the top five.
"It was a little scary, we got a little stalled there with our cover, but just like always she dug in in the stretch," said trainer Mark Steacy of Lansdowne, ON. "She's just a real trier."
Guelph, ON resident James MacDonald engineered the 1:52.2 victory for Steacy and owners Hudson Standardbred Stable Inc. of Hudson, QC. In 16 sophomore starts the consistent daughter of Bettors Delight and Forever Cam has seven wins, four seconds and one third for earnings of $106,010.
Forever Liza
Semi-final winner Arsenic cruised to a one and one-half length victory in the three-year-old pacing colt Final, matching his 1:51.1 personal best. The other Semi-final winner, Continual Hanover, was second and Inspiration View rounded out the top three.
"He showed a lot of potential last year, he just didn't come back the way I thought he would and I found out it was just a little bit of stomach problems with him, so we've kind of fixed that and he's gotten pretty good," said trainer Scott McEneny of the Bettors Delight son's late season surge. "I was going Gold at the beginning and he just wasn't right, he just wasn't himself, and we tried everything, everything. I finally found something that works on his stomach, and by then we got into a couple Grassroots."
The Waterdown resident conditions Arsenic for his wife Michelle McEneny and Brad Grant and Teresa Davidson of Milton, ON. Doug McNair of Guelph piloted the colt to his fourth victory in 12 sophomore outings, which boosted his season's earnings to $74,200.
Arsenic
Tymal Peacemaker wrapped up Grassroots Championship Night the same way that Anikadabra kicked it off, with a commanding front-end victory. The two-year-old pacing colt sailed under the wire two and one-half lengths ahead of his peers in 1:52.4 without ever facing a challenge. The other Semi-final winner, Bet On Brett, finished second and The Dark Shadow was third.
After testing his skills against the Gold colts early in the campaign, Tymal Peacemaker wrapped up his freshman season with a record of four wins in four Grassroots starts, banking $67,000 for owners Bayama Farms Inc. of Saint-Andre-D'Argenteuil, QC.
"He didn't have much luck, he was immature, and then when we got into easier competition it seemed he started to get it more and more every start," said Carlisle-based trainer Stephane Larocque of the shift from the Gold to the Grassroots level. "And, you know, he's just shown that he's going to be really good next year."
Sylvain Filion of Milton, the leading reinsman in the Ontario Sires Stakes program, piloted the son of Mach Three and Flying Colours to the win.
Tymal Peacemaker
In addition to the eight Grassroots Championship events, Mohawk Racetrack also hosted the $311,000 Milton Final for aged pacing mares, and former Ontario Sires Stakes superstar Lady Shadow posted her ninth win of the season, sailing home and two and one-quarter length winner in 1:50. Yagonnakissmeornot was second and Waasmula, also a former OSS champion, was third.
Doug McNair piloted Lady Shadow, a daughter of Shadow Play and Lady Camella, to the win for trainer Ron Adams of LaSalle and owners David Kryway of Amherstburg, ON, Carl Atley of Xenia, OH, Edwin Gold of Phoenixville, PA and BFJ Stable of Philadelphia, PA.
Ontario Sires Stakes action returns to Mohawk Racetrack on Thursday, Sept. 29 as the two-year-old trotting fillies wrap up their Gold Series regular season.
Ontario Racing