WOODSTOCK, ON — Woodstock Raceway kicks off an exciting season of Ontario Sires Stakes action with six Grassroots divisions for the three-year-old trotting colts this Saturday.
With many of last season’s top Grassroots colts trying their hand in the first Gold Series, the door is open for newcomers to the Ontario Sires Stakes to show off their talent, and Doug Millard is hoping that Armbro Wizard and Chipin Chocolate can do just that on Saturday afternoon.
“They are a nice pair of trotters and I think they are going to be decent competitors in the Sires Stakes races,” says the Woodstock resident. “But they have only had three or four races each, so they are quite green.”
Chipin Chocolate, who makes his provincial debut from Post 1 in the tenth race, made one start at two and has raced twice this season finishing second both times. The King Conch colt toured Mohawk Racetrack on May 7 in 1:59.4 and overcame a late break to collect the runner-up’s share at Hiawatha Horse Park on April 20.
“He has shown some good speed at places in his races,” says Millard, who shares ownership on both colts with Hyatt Holdings Inc. of Milton and Christina Maxwell of Ayr. “He certainly looked like he was going to win in Sarnia, but he got out in front and started looking around and made a break. He spotted them 10 or 12 lengths and still came on to be second, so he raced pretty good.”
Chipin Chocolate cost his owners $67,000 at the 2000 Canadian Classic Yearling Sale so the partnership would like to see the colt earn a sizable share of the $15,255 purse on Saturday.
Balanced Image son Armbro Wizard was just an $18,000 investment and he has already returned $4,000 of that with one win and one second in his four starts this spring. The gelding heads into Saturday’s event from an out of the money finish in a leg of the Tie Silk Series at Mohawk on April 25.
“He’s a nice horse too,” says Millard. “It’s just a matter of time. Some of these trotters take longer than others.”
Trainer Brad Maxwell will send Armbro Wizard after his first share of Ontario Sires Stakes pie from the outside Post 7 in Woodstock’s third race on Saturday. He peers will star in Woodstock’s 1:15 event in Races 1, 2, 3, 7, 10 and 11.
In addition to splitting Saturday’s $91,330 total purse, the top five finishers in each Grassroots division will earn points toward a berth in the lucrative post season. This season the Grassroots Semifinals will each be worth $30,000 and the Championship will be raced for $100,000. The three-year-old trotters and pacers contest their 2002 Championship at Windsor Raceway on Oct. 27 and Nov. 3.
Saturday’s three-year-old trotting colt event is one of five Woodstock Raceway will host this season. The half-mile oval also welcomes the sophomore trotting fillies and two-year-old trotting colts, pacing colts and pacing fillies to its Saturday afternoon schedule this summer.