SARNIA, ON — B Cor Automakeit may not be the favourite heading into his Grassroots division at Hiawatha Horse Park on Thursday evening, but the fact that he will compete in the provincial program at his owner’s local oval is enough to put a smile on Janice Annett’s face.
The third foal of Annett’s mare B Cor Autobahn, B Cor Automakeit is the first to survive infancy so the gelding’s achievements on the racetrack are icing on the cake for the Wyoming resident and her grandfather, trainer William Core of Dresden.
“When we got this guy, we decided to call him Automakeit, and so far he has,” says Annett. “He always looked like he was going to be a pretty nice colt so we were hoping he would race.”
Since making his debut in the Gold Series on July 2, B Cor Automakeit has posted a pair of second-place finishes through seven starts. In three Grassroots starts the young trotter has one second, one fourth and one fifth-place finish to his credit for 38 points, just 12 points shy of the current cut off for post season action, and Annett and Core would love to see him add to that from Post 1 in the fifth race on Thursday.
“He always seems to draw those outside post positions so hopefully with the rail he might be able to leave out of there and do something with it,” says Annett. “We’d like to get him into the big Final.”
Annett has her own trainer’s license, and had hoped to handle B Cor Automakeit’s conditioning, but a car accident last year left her unable to sit in a jog cart so she has settled with working alongside Core on the gelding’s care and well being. Under her guidance the personable horse has developed a taste for the finer things in life, including peppermints and home-made ginger snaps.
“He just loves to be loved, and with two-year-olds they need a lot of that,” says the 32-year-old horsewoman. “The more they’re loved, the harder they try for you.”
Gene Piroski will steer B Cor Automakeit in Thursday’s $18,000 battle and the veteran reinsman will have an eye out for Parkside Brad, who sits ninth in the point standings, from Post 4.
Division leader Shady Suspect will have his work cut out for him from Post 9 in the tenth race, as will second-place point earner T Js Incredible Lad who drew the outside post in Race 2. With the advantageous rail in the first race, Earl Of Openwood will be looking to leap frog over the leaders with his third Grassroots victory.
Hiawatha Horse Park sends the first Grassroots division to the post at 7:10 pm with the remaining two-year-old trotting colt battles highlighted in Races 2, 5, 8, 9, and 10.