HANOVER, ON — For the second time in five days Hanover Raceway offers fans an exciting program of Ontario Sires Stakes action when the two-year-old trotting colts arrive at the popular half-mile oval for Grassroots action Wednesday.
Division leader Elaborateobsession will shoot for his third straight victory from Post 7 in the ninth race, while local colt Meadowcroft Man will attempt his second win from the outside post in Race 8. In his July 21 Grassroots debut at Flamboro Downs Meadowcroft Man fired straight to the front from Post 7 and stayed game through the 2:04.1 mile to score a half length victory for Nick Henry of Mount Forest and George Henry of Arthur.
“Leaving the gate he flowed out and just kind of did everything himself. And he just happened to be trotting faster than everyone else,” recalls Nick Henry, who drives the gelding while his father George handles training duties. “It was his first start so I just wanted to let him do his own thing.”
The son of San Pellegrino and the Henry’s steady Grassroots competitor Independent Girl ($76,826), the gelding stepped onto the track for the first time on June 26 in an Flamboro Downs qualifier where he made a break and finished well behind the leaders. While his peers went on to Sudbury Downs for the Grassroots season opener, Meadowcroft Man returned to qualifying action at Grand River Raceway on July 5 where he missed the required qualifying time for OSS participation by almost two seconds.
The pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place for the young trotter in his third qualifier on July 10 at Hanover Raceway where he delivered an impressive runner-up finish in a 2:05.4 mile.
“His first couple of qualifiers weren’t very good,” says Henry. “He just kind of put it together all at once. He qualified in 2:05.4 at Hanover and has been good since. His mother was quite the same. She took a couple of qualifiers to catch on.”
Meadowcroft Man also inherited his petite stature from his mother, a trait that caused the Henry’s to bring him home from last fall’s Canadian Classic Yearling Sale when bidding stalled out at $12,000.
“He’s a real nice colt, but he’s very tiny, he’s like a pony,” says Henry. “But his mother was the same and she was a decent mare. If this guy can be as good we’d be very happy.”
While small in stature, Henry says the gelding has an aggressive, can-do attitude and is all business on the racetrack.
“He’s pretty feisty. My dad says he has �little man syndrome,’ but he’s not dirty or anything,” says the younger Henry. “On the track he’s quite good mannered and likes to get things over with.
“He was castrated early in the winter. I think he dumped my dad a few times in the snow, so that ended that,” he adds with a chuckle.
Among the colts Meadowcroft Man will face is Claytons Valleylad, trained by Henry’s grandfather Ross Henry of Arthur, meaning most of the young reinsman’s family will be on hand to watch.
“My wife’s family is in racing too, so they’ll all be there too. Hopefully I won’t get booed,” he says wryly. “The seven-hole is a little different at Hanover than at Flamboro, so we’ll see what he feels like behind the gate. He trained up real well this week.”
Meadowcroft Man and his two-year-old trotting colt peers are the stars of Races 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9 at Hanover Raceway on Wednesday evening, with the first race of the night stepping onto the racetrack at 7 pm.