After going winless for nearly four months, Time Passer made every call a winning one en route to a 12-1 upset in the $75,000 Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Grassroots Final for 3-year-old male pacers on Saturday (Sept. 27) at Woodbine Mohawk Park, snapping a 10-race losing skid and setting a new lifetime mark of 1:49 in the act.
In a change of tactics from recent outings, Time Passer and driver J.R. Plante wasted no time getting into action, vaulting clear of a host of other leavers in the first furlong before seating SOS Sports Bet (driven by James MacDonald) and even-money favourite Out Of Ice (Jody Jamieson) in second and third, respectively, through a sharp :26 first quarter.
“Once I got him off on the right foot right off the gate, I said, ‘Well, I might as well keep going a little bit,'” said Plante. “At the quarter, he felt really strong, so after that I just let him roll to see what we’ve got.”
And Time Passer did just that.
The Bettors Delight—As Time Goes By gelding rolled through speedy middle splits of :54.2 and 1:21.4, keeping a bit of separation over pocket rival SOS Sports Bet all the while and holding his ground as Out Of Ice made first-over gains to mount a mild challenge off the home turn. Nearing the eighth pole, Plante asked Time Passer for more pace, and his response was instantaneous as he shifted gears into a :27.1 final quarter and drew 6-1/4 lengths clear of Lyons Franky J (Daryl Thiessen), who rallied for second. Shadow Of An Angel (Trevor Henry) circled five-wide in the stretch off fourth-over cover to take third.
Out of Ice faded to finish fifth after his bid stalled in upper stretch.
“This horse had never been on the front,” said Plante, who earlier on the card won the Grassroots 3-year-old filly pacing final with Simply The Best. “He’s always got a lot of traffic in his trips. Once I got him there, I figured I’d give him a shot… after that, he did the job himself.”
Time Passer won for the third time this season — and in his career — for trainer Dave Menary and the partnership for Menary Racing, Michael Guerriero, Ryan Morefield and Larry Menary. In all, the Willow Oak Ranch-bred gelding has earned $119,881.
Sent off the sixth choice in the wagering, Time Passer returned $26.20 to win.