FRASERVILLE, ON — Ontario’s best trotters and pacers will converge on Kawartha Downs this Saturday, Oct. 27 to battle for a total of $800,000 in eight Grassroots Championship races, and a pair of three-year-old trotting fillies are aiming to keep a share of the provincial purse money in Peterborough.

Featured Image and Hi Edith will start from Posts 1 and 4 in the sophomore trotting filly final, and both fillies head into the sixth race off impressive efforts in their Semifinal round. Featured Image finished second by half a length to Malahide after carving all the fractions in a 1:57.4 mile, and Hi Edith scored a three and three-quarter length win in 1:58.1.

“She hung pretty tough. She got run at pretty good,” says trainer John Bax of Featured Image. “I was impressed with the way she raced.”

Bax shares ownership on Featured Image with first time horse owner Paul Kinmond of Peterborough, John Hayes of Sharon and William White of Peterborough. The partners have watched the Balanced Image lass post a record of four wins and four seconds in 17 starts this season, for earnings of $40,283.

“She has made mistakes at the most inopportune times,” laments Bax. “She should have about double the money made, but some of them just have to mature mentally.”

Steve Byron will steer Featured Image on Saturday, and Bax hopes the filly has her game face on when she leaves his Peterborough farm.

“It will be a matter of who gets a trip and who doesn’t get abused,” he reflects. “Up in this class, they’ve got to almost be more than one dimensional. If they’re one dimensional they’re in trouble.”

Driver Doug Hie, who bred and owns Hi Edith with his brother, trainer Roger Hie of Cobourg, was delighted to be in the Semifinal last Thursday, and is even more thrilled to be part of the Grassroots Championship at his local oval.

“I was happy to make the Semifinal to start with, so it’s great to be in the Final, and having a live horse is even better,” says the Fraserville resident. “She may not be the best in there, but she’s not the worst either.

“It will be a heck of an event for Kawartha to have $800,000 worth of racing on one night. We’ve had a great summer of racing, and this will really cap it off,” he adds.

The veteran reinsman was pleased with Hi Edith’s performance last week, and thinks she has regained the form she lost while battling a virus through the month of August. Saturday’s $100,000 final will be the Earl daughter’s fifth start back following her recovery, and Hie figures she has the potential to carve a little more time off the personal best she clocked in the Semifinal.

“I think she was ready for that (1:58.1),” he says. “She’s certainly capable of that, and she’s probably capable of a little more.”

Both Hie and Bax will have their eyes peeled for the division point leader Emerald Whisper, who landed the outside Post 8 for the second straight week.

Before Featured Image and Hi Edith take their run at a Grassroots title in Race 6, two-year-old trotting filly Travelin Supergirl will be looking for a share of provincial glory from Post 4 in Race 3.

The Kadabra daughter squeaked into the final after recovering from an early break and getting up to finish fourth last Saturday, but trainer Mark Steacy says that start was not representative of the filly’s usual racing style.

“She had a bit of bad luck last week. Dave (Wall ) said he kind of spooked her a bit. As he tried to move her into a hole, he laid the whip on her tail and spooked her, and she made a break.” Steacy explains. “Fortunately she came back and got fourth, so she gets to play again.”

Through eight starts Travelin Supergirl has posted three wins, one second and one third for owner Peter Heffering of Port Perry. Steacy says the filly has already demonstrated her versatility and that driver Dave Wall will have several options when the starting gate swings away on Saturday.

“She can race any way. You can leave a little with her, or come from off the pace,” says the Lansdowne resident. “Post 4 seems to be my lucky post, so hopefully it continues one more week.”

Steacy says Semifinal winner Quintessential K presents the biggest threat in the field of freshman trotting lasses, in spite of starting from the outside Post 8. Quintessential K romped to a six and one-half length victory in 1:59.1 in her Semifinal, while Fiesty Fergie claimed a 2:00.2 victory in the other split. Fiesty Fergie will make her bid for the Grassroots title from Post 6.

Kawartha Downs kicks off its rich evening of racing at 7 pm on Saturday, and the Grassroots stars will shine in Races 2 through 9.

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