HANOVER, ON — Young reinsmen Jody Jamieson and Ray McLean, Jr. each scored two wins on Saturday night’s Grassroots card at Hanover Raceway, but it was veteran William “Bud” Fritz who delivered the fastest mile of the freshman pacing filly event when he steered Nunnery’s Luck to a 1:59 victory in the second race.
The Walkerton resident fired Nunnery’s Luck out of Post 4 and the pair reeled off fractions of :29, :59.2 and 1:29.4 en route to the 1:59 victory over a fast closing Pacific Sprinkles and Benzie.
Fritz shares ownership on Nunnery’s Luck, a half-sister to $136,659 winner Nothingbutluck, with breeder Clarence Bast of Millbank. The win was the duo’s second in two starts and took more than three seconds off the filly’s personal best.
Jamieson scored his first win aboard Island Dreams in the second division. The 27-year-old took a page from Fritz’s book and opted for front-end tactics to get the filly across the wire one length up on favourite Our Shady Lady, owned by John Kennedy of Hanover and Elva Walmsely of Walkerton, and Fabulous Flori in 2:00.2.
Jamieson’s father Carl trains Island Dreams and the Princeton resident shares ownership on the Island Fantasy filly with Edward Smith of Milton, Karl Ungerman of Toronto and Robin Raine of Cumbria, ENG. An $11,000 acquisition at the Canadian Classic Yearling Sale last fall, Island Dreams has already earned back her purchase price with one win, one second and one third in three starts.
Another front-end effort landed Deal Me Sevens in the winner’s circle for the Jamieson team. Carl Jamieson and Ungerman own the Apaches Fame daughter, who hit the wire five and one-quarter lengths up on the field in 2:00.2. Smiling Beauty, owned by Leonard Gamble of Etobicoke, trainer Gregg McNair of Guelph and David Carson of Listowel finished second, one-quarter length ahead of St Lads Survivor.
McLean captured the other two Grassroots divisions, smiling for the Hanover photographer with Pacific Rocket daughter Terra Cotta Rascal and Apaches Fame miss Witness To Fame.
Terra Cotta Rascal bested Borderlinegorgious and Fannies Fortune in 2:00.3 for John Fraleigh of Glencoe and Witness To Fame hit the wire two and three-quarter lengths ahead of Angelina Seelster and Lorie Seelster on behalf of trainer Bud Sinclair of Stratford and Dr. Norman Amos of St. Marys.
The two-year-old pacing fillies make their second Grassroots start July 24 at Woodstock Raceway, while Hanover Raceway welcomes the three-year-old pacing fillies to town on Saturday, July 17.