Darbyshire led the three-year-old Grassroots trotters with a 1:53 career-best effort in the fastest of five $22,000+ Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) divisions featured at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday, June 23.
After a :27.1 opening quarter, Darbyshire swept from third to first for driver James MacDonald and cruised clear of his foes through middle splits of :56 and 1:24.4 en route to a three-length tally in 1:53 flat. Cruising Tom followed in second after leading early on and Cassius Hanover rounded out the top three finish order.
Dropping from the Gold Series in leg one of the provincial sire stakes program and coming off a previous best 1:53.3 victory in a conditioned class last week, Darbyshire was the overwhelming favourite at 1-9 with the rest of the field at double-digit odds. He paid $2.10 to win.
Matt Bax trains the Muscle Mass-Danish Darby gelding, who won four Grassroots events in his rookie year and sports a seven-for-15 lifetime record with just over $80,000 banked in purses. Darbyshire is owned by Bax Stable, breeder Glengate Farms, Goin To The Show Stable and Happy Trails Stables.
The Bax barn doubled up in Friday's OSS action with Resolve To Win repeating in the Grassroots Series with a 1:53.2 career-best score in rein to Scott Young. The 4-5 favourite collared front-striding The Great Reset with a quarter-mile to go and used a :27.1 bullet to win by two lengths. The Resolve-Sensual Hall gelding is also owned by Bax Stable along with Brad Grant, Gaelic Stable and Don Allensen.
New Rules also won his division in 1:53.2, holding off the favoured Deadline Hall from the pocket by three-quarters of a length for a new lifetime mark. Austin Sorrie fashioned the front-end victory, overcoming the outside post off the wings, for trainer Marcel Barrieau, co-owner of the Lookslikeachpndale-Mini Her gelding with Gestion Mastel Inc.
Bob McClure drove a pair of popular winners as the lightly-raced Shawn Steacy trainee Lite The Candles (Muscle Mass-Dream For Lindy) was victorious in 1:54.2 for breeders Hudson Standardbred Stable and Bridle Path Stables, and Grassroots repeater The Hazelton (Muscle Mass-Too Good For You) made it four wins in a row while lowering his mark to 1:54.1 for trainer Mark Etsell, who shares ownership with Terry Devos, Graham Hopkins and Peter Porter.
The three-year-old trotting colts and geldings will meet again for their third leg of the Grassroots Series back at Mohawk on Aug. 12.
Friday's card also included a pair of $15,000 Pop-Up Series divisions with Stop The Shootin and Louis-Philippe Roy just holding off Toronto at the end of a 1:52.1 mile for trainer Ted MacDonnell to open the series. The favourites swept Friday's splits as Rockin N Talkin was a 1:51.3 wire-to-wire winner for driver Tyler Jones and trainer Herbie Holland. The series is for non-winners of $20,000 in 2023 or not averaging $1,250 or less per start in 2023 (minimum 12 starts).
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.