DRESDEN, ON — Dresden Raceway kicked off its 2006 Ontario Sires Stakes schedule on Sunday afternoon with an outstanding display of speed and ability by the three-year-old trotting colts.

The tone for the afternoon’s performance was set in the first Grassroots division when Wayne Henry piloted Starsel to a track record. The pair sprinted to the front from Post 3 and simply ran off with the victory, rolling effortlessly through fractions of :31.1, 1:01.3 and 1:31 on their way to a nine length victory in 1:59.3. The mile pared one-fifth of a second off the former record, set by J L’s Sunny Boy in 2002.

Fan favourite Norththerushison dogged the leader’s footsteps through most of the mile, but could not keep up when Henry hit the accelerator heading down the backstretch for the second time. King Claude took home third-place honours, hitting the wire 12 lengths behind the winner.

Wayne Henry trains Starsel for his partners in the Henry Stable of Arthur and Alan Bodin of Rockwood. The win was the Angus Hall son’s first of the season, but he is no stranger to Grassroots glory, claiming three wins in the provincial program as a two-year-old.

Michael Langdon piloted a pair of Grassroots contestants to the winner’s circle, capturing the second division with Lord Valentine and the third with Magical Beginnings.

Langdon bucked conventional wisdom in both races, opting for a come from behind strategy on the half-mile oval. Saddled with Post 6, Langdon floated Lord Valentine off the starting gate into fifth position and sat contentedly on the rail as pacesetter Pass And Strike sprinted through fractions of :29.3, 1:00.2 and 1:31. Heading around the final turn the driver fired Lord Valentine up behind fan favourite The Orient Express and then pulled away to the one and three-quarter length victory in 2:02.

The Orient Express survived a tough trip around the outside to hang on to second, while Ja El Coastalimage trotted into third.

Norm Jones trains Lord Valentine for owner and breeder Robert Walsh of Toronto. The CR Renegade son was making just his second lifetime appearance, and his first this season, in the winner’s circle.

Hampered by the outside Post 7 in his next Grassroots appearance, Langdon hustled Magical Beginnings off the gate and secured the third-place spot on the rail behind Gripit N Ripit and Aforgottendynasty. Through the :29.4 opening quarter and on to the 1:01 half, the pair sat tight, but heading for the three-quarters Langdon sent Magical Beginnings after the lead and the Royal Ballad son was on top by a nose when the colts swept by the 1:32 marker.

Runner-up Already There and third-place finisher Earl Of Pembrooke mounted late charges, but Magical Beginnings trotted home to a one and three-quarter length victory in 2:03.1 for trainer Duane Marfisi and owner-breeder Gary Brown of Guelph.

Favourites Zorgwijk Graduate and Im Classy rocketed around the Dresden oval on the front end to score 2:01.3 and 2:01.1 victories in the fourth and fifth Grassroots divisions. Trainer Marnie Bochenek and driver Gary Rivest of Waterdown own Armbro Ricochet son Zorgwijk Graduate, who now has three wins under his belt this season, and Gord Rayner teamed Eager Seelster gelding Im Classy to his second sophomore victory for trainer Wayne Langille and owner-breeder Lorena Chapple of Harley.

The final Grassroots division went to Robert Shepherd and Heaven And Hall, who stopped the clock at 2:01.2 for trainer Susanne Kerwood and owners Hyatt Holdings Inc. and Canamerica Capital Corp. of Milton. Through three starts this season the Angus Hall son now has two wins and one third to his credit.

The three-year-old trotting colts make their second Grassroots start on June 11 at Windsor Raceway, while Dresden Raceway hosts its second Ontario Sires Stakes event of the season on Sunday, July 16, welcoming the younger siblings of some of Sunday’s contestants in the second Grassroots event for the two-year-old trotting colts.

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rdressu.html