SUDBURY, ON — For the third straight week Sudbury Downs fans were treated to outstanding Ontario Sires Stakes action on Saturday evening. The provincial program’s marquee division, the three-year-old pacing colts, fired around the half-mile oval with Sunny Supreme stepping off the fastest mile of the seven divisions.
In rein to Reg Gassien, Sunny Supreme sprinted to the front from Post 3 and was leading the field of eight by three lengths when he swept by the quarter mile pole in :28.4. Through fractions of :58.3 and 1:27.2 the Northern Luck son never faced a serious challenge, reaching the wire three lengths the best in 1:56.2. Deal A Fortune and HBFS Power Play rounded out the top three in the $15,752 contest.
The win improved Sunny Supreme’s 2004 Grassroots record to two wins and one second in three starts, for a total of 125 points. Sarnia resident Jim Ainsworth trains the winner of $58,546 for his partner William Boden of Vancouver, BC.
Young reinsman Alex Lilley scored his first Ontario Sires Stakes victory aboard Pit Bull in the second division. The 20-year-old Dutton resident bested a field full of veterans with an impressive come from behind steer that saw him hustle Pit Bull from seventh at the three-quarters to a quarter length victory in 1:57. Fan favourite Tristin Seelster settled for second-place while Aqua Powered was seven lengths behind the leaders in third.
Lilley guided the Village Jiffy gelding to his fourth straight victory for trainer Alan Logan and owners Fred Logan of Dutton, Petrina Lawrence of Rodney, Helen May Lawrence of Madison Heights, MI and Ronald Lesky of Lake Worth, FL.
Of the five colts who went into the Sudbury event undefeated in Grassroots action, only two emerged with their flawless record intact. Bootilicious captured the first division in 1:57.2 for trainer-driver Darren McCall and owners Stake Your Claim Stable of Secaucus, NJ and Let It Ride Stables Inc. of Delray Beach, FL. The Camluck son also circled the field around the final turn to score the quarter length victory over In High Gear and Lance Baran.
And in the final Grassroots event of the evening Cam Lucky and Michael Horner romped to a six length win in 1:56.3 for trainer Bob McIntosh of LaSalle, Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. of Leamington and Michael Kohler of Sterling Heights, MI. Pedaltodametal and Die Hard Amos duelled down the stretch to second and third-place honours, with favourite Lucky Brad settling for fourth.
The other divisions went to Missionacomplished in 1:56.4, Northern Raucous in 1:58.1 and Another Jiffy in 1:57.
Ontario’s talented three-year-old pacing colts return to Grassroots action Aug. 12 at Hiawatha Horse Park, while the provincial program is not back in Sudbury until Saturday, Sept. 25 with the two-year-old pacing fillies fourth Grassroots event.