SUDBURY, ON — After playing second fiddle in his first two Grassroots starts, three-year-old pacing colt He’s A Lion finally moved to first chair with a 1:55.1 track record victory at Sudbury Downs on Wednesday evening.

Starting from Post 4 driver Jody Jamieson guided He’s A Lion into third as fan favourite Mats Havin A Ball took the field to a :28 quarter and :57.1 half. Heading by the 1:26.2 three-quarters He’s A Lion and Jamieson stepped out three-wide and simply accelerated away from their peers, reaching the top of the stretch eight lengths on top and sailing home to a seven length victory.

The Scalawag finished second in the 1:55.1 mile, holding off the free-legged Laurel Canyon, who recovered from an early break to claim the third-place finisher’s share of the $21,911 purse.

Montana Racing Stable of Mississauga own He’s A Lion, who boosted his sophomore record to one win, three seconds and one third with the snappy mile, which shaved one-fifth of a second off the 1:55.2 mile clocked by Without Remorse in 1996. John Bond trains the Mach Three son, who jumped from twentieth to a tie for sixth in the division standings.

Local reinsman David Dowling captured two Grassroots divisions on Wednesday, piloting Whitesand Raider to a win in the first division and Live For Today to a win in the last.

Whitesand Raider delivered an exceptional effort from Post 7 to claim the 1:57 win, circling out three-wide at the three-quarters and digging hard in the stretch to get a nose in front of pacesetter Sauble Ron. Fan favourite Risky Rich settled for third, three lengths behind the leaders.

Waterdown resident Gaetan Hebert trains Whitesand Raider for his partner Natasha Rivest of Brantford. Through 27 starts this season the Northern Luck gelding boasts a record of three wins, two seconds and two thirds. Like He’s A Lion, Wednesday’s victory bumped Whitesand Raider from twentieth to sixth in the race for one of 16 spots in the Oct. 18 Grassroots Semifinal.

Dowling’s second visit to the winner’s circle followed a similar trip around the Sudbury half-mile, as Live For Today sprinted down the stretch to get a head in front of pacesetter and favourite Cuban Seelster. Wantasmile rounded out the top three, two lengths behind the front-runners.

Live For Today stopped the Sudbury teletimer at 1:56, to knock one-fifth of a second off his former best effort. George McClure trains the Fit For Life gelding for breeder Carman Hastie of Elmwood, and his wife Catherine and son Dustin McClure of Clinton. The consistent Live For Today has made five trips to the winner’s circle this season, finished second five times and third once in 15 starts, and leapt into the top 16 from thirty-third with his first Grassroots triumph.

Tymal Cameron and Mighty And Strong moved up to share top spot in the point race with matching 1:56.3 victories in their Grassroots divisions. Audrey and Robert McKinley own Mach Three son Tymal Cameron, and Paul Taylor trains the gelding, who has two wins and two seconds in his four Grassroots starts.

L and L Devisser LLC of Holland, MI and William and Candace Jones of Lexington, KY own Mighty And Strong, who has captured nine of 15 starts this season. Carl Jamieson trains the Astreos son.

Local favourite Whitesand Noble, owned by trainer Wayne MacLean of Chelmsford, Jocelyne Menard of Chelmsford and Lesley Kennedy of Port Dover, finished two lengths behind Mighty And Strong in second.

The three-year-old pacing colts meet in their second last regular season Grassroots event on Sept. 13 at Rideau Carleton Raceway, while the three-year-old trotting colts make Sudbury Downs the battleground for their fifth Grassroots skirmish on Wednesday, Sept. 12.

For complete results please go to:

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