GLOUCESTER, OCT. 18, 2001 – Corona Grande continued his romp through the two-year-old pacing colt Grass Roots division with a 1:56.4 score at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Thursday night.
The Camluck colt and driver Greg Wright left from Post 1, took command of the race just past the quarter-mile marker and jogged past the finish line six lengths ahead of Paultrow and Rob The Rock to score their sixth straight win. Corona Grande has made just seven starts since his Aug. 2 debut and has one third to compliment his array of first-place finishes.
Trainer Jack Darling of Windsor shares ownership on the winner of $44,421 with Dan Smith of Dorchester. The long time partners shelled out $25,000 for Corona Grande at last fall’s Forest City Yearling Sale and are in a position to recoup more than double their investment if the colt can carry his win streak through the Grass Roots Semifinal and $100,000 Final.
Wright was also in the Rideau Carleton Raceway winner’s circle following the fourth race when he piloted Greg McNair trainee Judge Cam to a 1:57.1 triumph. The Camluck colt sat behind the pacesetter throughout the mile until Wright popped him into overdrive and they powered down the stretch to the one half length win over favourite Firstline Luck and Armbro Warranty.
Charles Lawrence of Blenheim bred and owns Judge Cam, who has three Grass Roots wins and two seconds to his credit for a total of 23 points and sole ownership of the division lead heading into the Oct. 27 Semifinals at Windsor Raceway.
A McNair trainee also captured the first of the four Grass Roots divisions on Thursday evening. Cliftons Revenge and driver Terry Fritz stretched their unbeaten streak to three with a steady 1:58.1 victory over Myrriahs Andy and Analyze This. After beginning his season in the Gold Series, Cliftons Revenge raced in the Grass Roots wild card at Sudbury Downs on Sept. 12, and after that confidence building win McNair and owners Garry and Susan Hart of Keansburg, NJ decided the Grass Roots program was the best place for their colt.
A son of A Stud Named Sue, Cliftons Revenge sports a record of four wins, one second and one third in 11 starts for earnings of $75,579.
The final division went to Needmore Moose, who stopped the clock in 1:57 with an impressive six length victory over Armbro Wallstreet and Brandon Camluck. Bred, owned and trained by John Williamson of Cayuga, Needmore Moose has three wins in four starts to his credit.
The 16 point earners through the six regular season events now head to Windsor Raceway on Oct. 27 for a pair of $20,000 Semifinals. >From there the top eight finishers return to Windsor Raceway on Nov. 3 for their $100,000 Grass Roots Championship.
Thursday’s event also wraps up Rideau Carleton Raceway’s 2001 Ontario Sires Sakes season. The provincial program will return to Gloucester next spring when a new crop of Ontario-sired trotters and pacers will be eager to prove their mettle on the best Sires Stakes circuit in North America.
FOR MORE CONTACT SANDRA SNYDER AT 519-656-2017 OR smsnyder@sentex.net.