WINDSOR, ON — Oh Emma put together a flawless effort at Windsor Raceway on Wednesday night and annihilated a field of talented three-year-old trotting fillies in the process.
With the Incredible Abe daughter’s history of early breaks, trainer-driver Robert McClure eased Oh Emma out of Post 3 in the fourth race, getting her settled before stepping out and driving for the lead just past the :29.1 opening quarter. By the :58.1 half the fan favourites were on top by three and a slick third quarter saw them 10 lengths on top as the teletimer ticked across 1:26.3.
Through the stretch Oh Emma was so far ahead that the rest of the field needed binoculars to find her, and she hit the wire 23 lengths in front in a personal best 1:57.4. Fourth choice Petals Of A Flower trotted into second spot and Warrawee Ellie overcome an early break to pick up the third-place finisher’s share of the $20,142 purse.
McClure trains Oh Emma for Linda Dennis of Barrie, who has watched the filly score three wins in three Grassroots starts this season for a total of 150 points and a share of fourth spot in the division standings. With Wednesday’s impressive mile serving as her recommendation, the filly heads into the Oct. 26 Grassroots Semifinal as one of the hot favourites to advance to the Nov. 2 Grassroots Championship.
Also on an impressive roll heading into the post season is Armbro Amaze, who captured her third consecutive Grassroots victory with a 2:00.3 score in the opening division. The King Conch daughter and regular reinsman Ross Battin led from wire to wire to record the win, their sixth of the season, over Gadget Girl and Clarice Marie.
Trainer Frank O’Reilly of Orton, John Fielding of Toronto and John Jesson of Tillsonburg share ownership on the talented Armbro Amaze, who bested the colts in the Dream Of Glory Trot at Hanover Raceway Aug. 2.
Sephora nudged last year’s Grassroots champion Designable back to second spot in the final point standings with her victory in the sixth race. Another daughter of King Conch, Sephora and trainer-driver Jason Gilchrist stalked pacesetter Independent Woman before out trotting the fan favourite to the wire for the 2:02.1 victory. Shebeasabrefan was three lengths to the rear in third.
Owned and bred by Dr. Frederick Albert of Prescott, Sephora wrapped up the regular season with three wins and three seconds in six Grassroots starts for a point tally of 225, 13 more than Designable, who settled for second in the last division.
Hampered by Post 8, Designable put up a good fight in Race 10 but was unable to stave off fan favourite Dream Alone in the 2:00.4 mile, which saw St Lads Abby earn the third-place cheque. Mark MacDonald piloted Dream Alone to the victory for trainer Mark Steacy of Lansdowne and owners David Reid of Kingston, Stan Klemencic of Trenton, Peter Heffering of Port Perry and George Judson of Athens. The win landed the Mr Lavec daughter in third spot in the final standings.
The win was the second of the evening for MacDonald and Steacy, who also paired up to land Armbro Acunar in the Windsor winner’s enclosure with an impressive eight and a half length score over Express Gal and Chips Chip. The win was the first in Grassroots action for the King Conch filly, owned by Steacy, Reid and David MacDonald of Cornwall, and just failed to give her enough points for a spot in the top 16, leaving her three points below the final cut off.
The top 16 point earners make their way to Flamboro Downs for a pair of Grassroots Semifinals on Oct. 26, with the top four from each Semifinal advancing to the Grassroots Championship.
Ontario Sires Stakes action continues at Windsor Raceway this Saturday with the two-year-old trotting colt in their last regular season Grassroots event. The program also features a 30th anniversary celebration for the Ontario Sires Stakes program that gives anyone turning 30 in 2003, 2004 or 2005 an opportunity to pop a balloon and win terrific prizes.