After two battles against the top two-year-old trotting fillies in the province, Bop Too The Top moved into the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Series on Sunday afternoon and circled the Dresden Raceway oval faster than any of her peers.
Starting from Post 1, Bop Too The Top and driver Stephen Byron were content to watch as Orderingin charged away from post six to a :29.4 opening quarter. The fan favourites sat behind Orderingin as she continued to lead the field through a 1:02.1 half and then Byron tipped Bop Too The Top into the outer flow heading for the 1:33.1 three-quarters. An effortless finishing kick propelled Bop Too The Top to a three length victory in 2:03, which marked the Muscle Mass daughter’s first ever appearance in the winner’s circle. Orderingin stayed game for second with Armstead Kyra rounding out the top three.
Byron engineered the victory for trainer John Bax of Peterborough and his partners Glengate Farms of Campbellville and Lorne Johnson of Cobourg. Through three starts Bop Too The Top has amassed one win and one third for earnings of $20,000, just shy of the $28,000 her owners paid to acquire her from last fall’s Canadian Yearling Sale.
Alley Bayama was just off Bop Too The Top’s pace in the first $24,000 Grassroots division, circling the Dresden half-mile in 2:03.2. The Majestic Son daughter and driver Sylvain Filion led from start to finish, besting SOS Allinone and Hula Majic by two lengths.
Justin Filion conditions Alley Bayama for Bayama Farms Inc. of Saint-Andre-D’Argenteuil, Que. Sunday’s win was the filly’s first in three starts, her other two Grassroots appearances resulted in fourth and sixth-place finishes.
Extreme Balance and Joe Hudon also employed front end tactics to score a 2:03.2 result in their Grassroots division, beating Twin B Alibi to the wire by one length. Lightly rated Bluenose Gal completed the top three.
The daughter of Striking Sahbra and WS Balanced Wheel is a half-sister to former Gold Series star Magic Wheel, who has earned $393,854 in her career for owner-breeders Hudon of Acton and Margaret Payne of St. Augustine, Florida. Extreme Balance finished fourth and fifth in her other two Grassroots outings.
Pointe De Vue delivered a gritty effort in the second division to score her first Grassroots victory. The Striking Sahbra daughter and driver Anthony MacDonald sat on the flank of pacesetter Peeling Out through the bulk of the mile before powering down the stretch to a neck victory in 2:05. Peeling Out had to settle for second and Georgia Baby was third.
Chris Beaver of Delaware, Ohio trains Pointe De Vue for his partners Steven Shelton of Springfield, Ohio, David Lang of Hilliard, Ohio and James Gallagher of Columbus, Ohio. The filly has tried both the Grassroots and Gold Series, finishing second in her division of the July 5 Grassroots season opener at Kawartha Downs and fifth in a July 15 Gold Elimination at Flamboro Downs. An $18,000 yearling purchase from the 2011 Forest City Yearling Sale, Pointe De Vue is a full sister to former Gold Series competitor Pointe Of Honour ($434,877) and current sophomore trotting filly Grassroots leader Counter Pointe ($233,410).
The other two Grassroots trophies went home with Thousand Miles, who clocked a 2:05.1 victory for driver Robert Shepherd, trainer Emma Frieze of York and her partners Double Or Nothing Stables of Hamilton, and Abs Muscle Hall, who delivered a 2:04.1 clocking in rein to David Boughton for trainer Nelson White and owners Maumee River Stables of New Haven, Indiana.
The two-year-old trotting fillies make their fourth Grassroots start on August 7 at Georgian Downs, while Grassroots excitement does not return to Dresden Raceway until Monday, Sept. 3, when the two-year-old pacing colts arrive at the half-mile oval for their second last skirmish.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Dresden Raceway.
(OSS)