Two-year-old pacing fillies converged at Sudbury Downs on Saturday to participate in five $24,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots divisions
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Driven by Brad Forward, point leader Windsong Gentille got the ball rolling in the first division. The favoured Modern Art-Morning To Morning filly rolled gate-to-wire to win in 2:02 by five lengths for trainer Bill Robinson and owners Bill Loyens, Vito Frijia of London and Harry Loyens of Ilderton, Ont. Best Risque (Dave Boughton) and Silent Terror (Jason Gilchrist) were second and third. Windsong Gentille is now six-for-eight and has won all four of her Grassroots starts this season.
Forward and Robinson also teamed up to win a later division with the popular Lyons Anitacol. The E Dees Cam-Thereal Ideal miss made a three-wide move at three-quarters and sprinted home in :27.3 to win in 1:57.3 by seven lengths. Lucky Jeans (Dave Boughton) was second and Rossridge Fastreos (Jason Gale), who endured broken equipment, was fourth placed third as Jodies Romance (Gerry Belanger) was third placed fourth for causing interference at the start of the race. Lyons Anitacol scored her third straight Grassroots victory, which was her fourth win in seven starts for Geoffrey Lyons Mound of Burford, Ont.
All Chocolate overcame interference at the start of the second split and moved from third to first after the opening quarter. Scott Zeron guided the Astreos-Alliwannabe filly through the remaining panels en route to a 1:59.2 victory. Bronwen Seelster (Brad Forward) finished two lengths back in second with Tymal Devana (David Dowling) finishing third. Race favourite Modern Music (Jason Gilchrist) made a costly break at the start of the race taking her out of contention. Duncan Brewer trains the winner for the Kelsam Stables of Binbrook, Ont. The victory was her second in seven tries this season.
Deliciouslynaughty and trainer/driver Mark Estell is now two-for-two in Grassroots action for owner/breeder David Snowden of Bowmanville, Ont. The Mach Three-Naught Enough Hare filly front-stepped her way to a 1:57.3 score. The winner of three races in four starts prevailed by a neck over favourite Misty Moonstone (Peter Core) while Francis (Terry Fritz) finished third.
Coconut Cove converted a pocket trip into a 1:58.3 maiden breaking triumph in the final division for driver Randy Fritz and trained Eric Adams. Millar Farms of Newmarket, Ont. owns the homebred daughter of Camluck-Welcome Child. Pacesetter and 34-1 longshot Pretty Dragon (Dave Boughton) finished one length behind in second and Holiday Shopper (Jason Gale) was third.
Sudbury also hosted the first leg of the Champion Pacing Series for non-winners of $70,000 in 2009 as of August 29, 2009, and favourites Ghost Hunter and Deuces And Jacks won their respective $15,000 divisions in front-stepping fashion.
Ghost Hunter and driver Aaron Byron held off the pocket-sitting Whitesand Noble (Gerry Belanger) by a neck for the 1:55 score. Gems Greek (Justin Turcotte) rounded out the top three. The six-year-old Astreos-Ghost Of Sweepall gelding won for the fourth time in 15 outings this year for trainer John Stergiou and owner Robert Reid, Jr. of Dundalk, Ont.
Deuces And Jacks prevailed by three-quarters of a length over double millionaire Admirals Express (Scott Zeron). Thomson Seelster (Gerry Belanger) finished third. Owner Paul MacLean did the driving for trainer France MacLean and co-owner Shaun McDonald of Wallenstein, Ont. The five-year-old Million Dollar Cam-Fit N Fast gelding notched his seventh win in 28 tries this year.
The second leg of the Champion Pacing Series featuring $15,000 divisions will take place next Saturday, September 26 and the third leg on Saturday, October 3. The $20,000 (added) final is scheduled for Saturday, October 10.
In other action, MS Fun made her new connections proud as she notched her fifth win in a row. Driven by David Dowling, the four-year-old Full Of Fun-Ms Mulan mare made a three-wide move at three-quarters and sprinted home to win her Race 2 assignment in 2:01 by two lengths over Munchkin Mania (Richard Turcotte) and Icey Breeze (Dave Wall). The winner of 11 races in 31 seasonal starts was purchased by trainer Mike Lamoureux and Kevin Skilton of Barrie, Ont. at the Delaware sale for $2,500 at the end of August and has won her four starts since at Sudbury.
To view Saturday’s harness racing results, click here.