LONDON, ON — On Friday evening Western Fair Raceway opened its fall meet with eight outstanding Grassroots Semifinals for the top two-year-old trotters and pacers in Ontario.
The trotting colts opened the $240,000 Grassroots program and Larry Walker guided Mathers Lavec to a 2:03.1 upset over Eatonmeadow Clyde and Loose Change Louie, owned by Brent Belore and Ronald Thomson of Embro, trainer Michael Robblee of Woodstock and George Cuthbert of Ingersoll. Fourth-place finisher Nichols Lavec, owned by Danterra Racing Stable of Strathroy, also advanced to next Friday’s $100,000 Grassroots Championship.
Mathers Lavec sat just off the pace through the early stages of the race and then delivered an impressive finishing kick to earn the one and three-quarter length victory for Springs Eternal Stable of Sutton West.
The other trotting colt division went to local favourite Knockout, who delivered a gritty effort through the stretch to score his third win of the year. Veteran Ontario Sires Stakes reinsman Dave Wall fired the Super Pleasure son off the gate from Post 1 and led the field through fractions of :30.4, 1:01.3 and 1:32.2 before urging the colt home to the neck victory in 2:03.1.
Trudel settled for the runner-up’s share of the $30,000 Semifinal purse and regular season division leader Shady Suspect trotted into third. Sporty Hope earned the last spot in next week’s Final with a steady fourth-place performance.
Ronnie MacLean of Mount Elgin trains Knockout for partner Glory B Stables of Vienna.
Next out of the gate were the pacing fillies and favourite Fit For Britt delivered a commanding front-end performance to capture the first split. The Fit For Life daughter and driver Ray McLean, Jr. hit the wire in 1:59.3, three and a quarter lengths up on R Bs Rocket and S A Cheerleader.
Trained by Gregg McNair for Russell Doyle of Sydney, NS, the win was Fit For Britt’s third straight and her fifth in nine starts this season.
In the second pacing filly Semifinal the fans’ second choice Bastet Hanover battled furiously to hold off favourite Armbro Bracken and score the impressive 1:59.1 victory. Ruthie Supreme, co-owned by Ross Holmes of Ilderton, delivered a steady effort to finish six lengths back in third.
Linda Toscano trains Island Fantasy daughter Bastet Hanover for Enviro Stables Ltd. of New York, NY. The win was the filly’s third in Grassroots action. Also advancing to the pacing filly Grassroots Final were fourth-place finishers Lovefest and Armbro Bailey.
Driver Ross Battin scored the first of two victories on the evening when he piloted Inglewood resident Norm Dunstan’s Lexus Lulu to a win in the first trotting filly Semifinal. The veteran horseman sat patiently while Reigning Image and Paul Walker laid down fractions of :30.4, 1:01 and 1:33.1, then powered by in the stretch to score the 2:04.3 victory. Reigning Image stayed game for second while Marclif Victoria and Softys Caitlyn nailed down the third and fourth-place positions. Favourite Cassatt, undefeated in regular season action, made an early break and was never in contention.
The second trotting filly Semifinal also featured an upset when former Gold Elimination winner Fiesty Kindof Luv knocked herself out of the running with an early miscue. Trotting specialist Paul Walker sent Hetties Charm after the lead heading to the half and the Angus Hall daughter held off a hard-charging Elouera down the stretch to score the neck victory in 2:04.3. Scratchthatitch and Emerald Tortilla crossed the wire third and fourth, but traded places when officials ruled that Scratchthatitch had travelled inside the pylons during the race.
Trainer John Rier of Kitchener and Randy Rier of Hanover share ownership on Hetties Dream.
In the first pacing colt Semifinal Michael Langdon piloted favourite XLB Joker to a convincing three and one-quarter length victory in 1:59 for trainer Mark Harder of Manalapan, NJ and his partner Robert Murphy of White Rock, BC. Tristin Seelster came up the outside to be second and Northern Raucous overtook Sunny Supreme to earn the third-place finisher’s cheque.
Ray McLean, Jr. and Greg McNair teamed up for their second winner of the night in the last pacing colt heat, as Stonebridge Galaxy logged the most impressive mile of the eight Semifinals, stopping the clock at 1:57.1 Antony Sue Prano crossed the wire three lengths back in third, with point leader Passion Lincoln and Im A Rustler Too well back in third and fourth.
McNair trains Apaches Fame son Stonebridge Galaxy for his partner Linda Cox of Bayfield.
The top four finishers from each Semifinal will return to Western Fair Raceway next Friday, Oct. 31 in hopes of earning treats, rather than tricks, in their respective $100,000 Grassroots Finals.