Flawless blue skies and talented three-year-old trotting colts delivered a near perfect afternoon of racing to Dresden Raceway fans on Sunday.
The sophomore trotting colts rolled into Dresden keen to renew their Grassroots rivalries in seven $20,000 divisions, the third event of six on their schedule this season.
Golden Genes Hall stepped off the quickest mile of the seven, stopping the Dresden teletimer at 2:00.4 in the fourth race.
"Mr. Ontario Sires Stakes," Dave Wall, stepped into the race bike behind Golden Genes Hall on Sunday and landed the colt a classic pocket trip behind pacesetter Canadian Frontier.
Breathing down driver Brad Forward's neck through fractions of :29.3, :59.2 and 1:30.1, Wall bided his time until the stretch before unleashing Golden Genes Hall and urging him to the quarter length victory.
Canadian Frontier and Forward were forced to settle for second, with PC Moonshine five lengths behind the leaders in third.
Duke Sugg trains Golden Genes Hall for owner Wayne Farthing of Findlay, OH. Through eight starts this season, the Striking Sahbra son has tallied two wins, two seconds and one third for earnings of $23,995.
In three Grassroots starts the colt has one win, one second and one third for a total of 87 points and a spot among the leaders in the race toward the Grassroots post season.
Wall gave up the drive on Windsun Pride in the ninth race and lived to regret it, as Paul Walker stepped into the breach and piloted the Angus Hall gelding to his second Grassroots win of the season.
Starting from Post 1 Walker adopted similar tactics to those Wall used in the fourth race, and settled Windsun Pride in second on the rail behind Jack Man.
As the leader worked his way through a :30.4 opening quarter, a 1:02 half and a 1:32.2 three-quarters under constant pressure from Finnegan on the outside, Walker and Windsun Pride sat patiently on the rail.
Turning for home, Walker sent Windsun Pride after the leaders and the colt easily disposed of his battle weary rivals, sailing under the wire one and three-quarter lengths to the good in 2:02.4. Finnegan earned the runner-up share of the $20,000 purse, leaving Jack Man the third-place finisher's spoils.
Owned by trainer Philip Coole of Puslinch, Stoney Island Stable of Kincardine and Dr. Peter Johnston of Peterborough, Windsun Pride boasts a record of five wins and one second in 10 starts and currently sits atop the Grassroots leader board with two wins and a second in provincial action.
Hot on Windsun Pride's heels in the Grassroots point race is Ballykeel Mike, who also scored his second Grassroots win of the season at Dresden on Sunday.
With trainer Brent Belore in the race bike, Ballykeel Mike controlled the tempo in the sixth race from start to finish, cruising through fractions of :32.1, 1:03.3 and 1:35.1 before halting the teletimer at 2:04.4. Patriot Seelster and Never Retreat closed smartly to finish second and third.
Embro resident Belore trains Ballykeel Mike for Ballykeel Racing of Tillsonburg. The Earl colt's Grassroots victories are his only top three finishes in 10 starts this season.
Local colt Dillavec finished third in the first Grassroots division, crossing the wire just two and a half lengths behind winner Smedshammer and in lock step with runner-up Lubbock.
Richard Renwick of Merlin, Ronald Peltier of Pain Court, Brian Bartlett of Charing Cross and trainer Paul Walker of Owen Sound share ownership on Dillavec, who maintained his position in the top 10 with the effort.
Smedshammer and trainer-driver Wayne Henry stopped the clock at 2:01.1 with their front end performance, the first win of the season for the Angus Hall son. The Henry Stable of Arthur and Daniel McCann of Parkhill share ownership on Smedshammer, who jumped into the top five with the win.
The other Grassroots divisions went to Badonkadonk and young reinsman Doug McNair in 2:01.2, Kangamangus and trainer/driver Carol Jamieson in 2:01.2 and Strong Hall and Kevin Wallis in 2:01.3.
The three-year-old trotting colts make their fourth Grassroots start at Flamboro Downs on August 13th, while Dresden Raceway gears up for its second event of the season on Sunday, August 10th when the two-year-old trotting colts will bring their Grassroots show to town.
(OSS)