SARNIA, ON — Six Grassroots divisions at Hiawatha Horse Park on Thursday evening will be the testing ground for 49 two-year-old trotting colts hoping to establish themselves as contenders on the Ontario Sires Stakes circuit this season.
Hoping to follow in his siblings’ footsteps and make an impact on the Ontario Sires Stakes scene is Sno N Again, who makes his racing debut from Post 4 in the second race. Trained by Kerwood resident Wayne Bloomfield, the Angus Hall half-brother to $164,802 winner Sno Doubt About It, $142,433 winner Got Sno Socks and $121,695 winner Sno Goal heads into the Grassroots contest off a pair of qualifiers over the Sarnia oval.
“We hope he has a good start and behaves himself,” says the colt’s owner, Karen Carroll of Shedden who also owns former Gold Elimination and Grassroots winner Sno Doubt About It.
“He’s a decent size, but his manners are better. Sno Doubt About It’s manners were not quite as nice,” says Carroll, when asked to compare the half-siblings. “This colt has been well behaved right from the start.”
Carroll acquired Sno N Again at last fall’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale for $15,000 US and then handed him over to Bloomfield to prepare for his freshman campaign. Throughout the winter the young trotter minded his manners and progressed through his lessons at a steady rate.
“He’s a pretty decent colt manner-wise. He’s always been easy to work with,” says Carroll. “I thought he was a pretty nice colt right from the start, he trots nice.”
Sno N Again made his qualifying debut at Hiawatha Horse Park on July 2, but was distracted by the shadows on the racetrack and made an early break. A second attempt on July 7 was more successful and saw the youngster tour the five-eighths mile oval in 2:06.3 to finish third.
“He’s not real fond of the shadows and he hasn’t had enough experience with the shadow roll to get used to it,” notes Carroll, who trains and drives some of the family’s horses. “There are more shadows to see at the racetrack than he would see at home.”
Carroll and Bloomfield hope that the colt’s skittishness will pass as he gains more experience on the racetrack, with Thursday’s contest being his first opportunity to advance his knowledge.
Among the other colts in the second Grassroots division hoping to progress along their learning curve and earn some Grassroots points in the process are Potential Renegade, who boasts a 2:05.3 win over Hanover Raceway in a maiden trot and will start from Post 6, and Corporate Strike, the third foal from $119,478 winner Toupie Mongil who will start from Post 7.
Hiawatha Horse Park’s first race parades onto the racetrack at 7:30 pm on Thursday, with the two-year-old trotting colts ready to flex their muscles in Races 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8.
For a complete list of entries for Thursday’s program, please go to:
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/esarfth.html