GLOUCESTER, ON — Snoops Bytes jumped to the top of the two-year-old trotting colt Grassroots division with a victory in the second of four divisions at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday evening.
Driver Rick Webb settled Snoops Bytes in third through the first quarter, but had the Kawartha Snoopy colt moving up the outside before the halfway marker. The duo took control heading for the three-quarters and sailed home to a three and a half length victory over favourite Tyrone Dillon and Odee Nero in a personal best 2:04.
The win was Snoops Bytes’ second in Grassroots action and boosted his point tally to 100, 20 more than former division leader Kuruption. Bred and owned by trainer Ray Paquette’s Cedar Valley Farms in Port Hope, the colt has amassed $22,723 in three provincial starts. Before moving into the Grassroots Snoops Bytes took one swing at the Gold Series colts, finishing fourth in his elimination.
Trainer Bob McIntosh and driver Don McElroy extended their weekend hot streak, adding two more wins to the three they scored Saturday night at Kawartha Downs.
McIntosh kicked off his training double in the first Grassroots division, sending Mr Tantalizer out to a victory over Otis Seelster and Stormont Cossack. The Mr Lavec son and driver Tom Strauss actually crossed the wire a nose behind favourite C S Ruff Start, but were awarded the win when C S Ruff Start was placed back to seventh for causing interference while on a break.
Windsor resident McIntosh shares ownership on Mr Tantalizer with Robert Emery of Windsor and CSX Stables of Liberty Center, OH. The colt was making his first Grassroots start after butting heads with the Gold colts in his first two provincial starts.
McIntosh teamed up with McElroy in the ninth race to post a victory with Wireless Image, owned by McIntosh, CSX Stables and Michael Kohler of Sterling Heights, MI. Heading into the event McIntosh had classified Wireless Image as the third stringer in his freshman trotting colt group, but the Balanced Image son scored an effortless 2:06.2 victory, hitting the wire four and three-quarter lengths ahead of Tara Ballyduff and Lake Ontario.
The win was Wireless Image’s third straight and his first in Grassroots competition. Both Wireless Image and Mr Tantalizer leapt into the Grasroots point race with their victories, planting themselves squarely in the middle of the top 16 point earners.
McElroy picked up his second victory with Blair Burgess trainee Hawaiian Clipper in the last Grassroots division. Like McIntosh’s youngsters Hawaiian Clipper was making his first appearance on the Grassroots scene and established himself as a player with the three-quarter length 2:05 score over Best Ball and Short Game.
Robert Burgess of Campbellville, Karin Olsson Burgess of Milton and Marsha Cohen of Asbury, NJ share ownership on the Balanced Image colt, who came into Sunday’s event with just one start to his credit.
The two-year-old trotting colts make their next start on Labour Day Monday at Elmira Raceway. Rideau Carleton Raceway fans get a second dose of Ontario Sires Stakes excitement this week as the two-year-old trotting fillies roll into town on Wednesday for a pair of Gold Series Eliminations.