SARNIA, ON — Terry Kerr picked up a catch drive aboard two-year-old trotting filly Oaklea Samantha on Thursday evening, and the Sarnia resident engineered a perfect tour of the Hiawatha Horse Park oval for the youngster.

Starting from Post 1, Oaklea Samantha accelerated away from the starting gate to a :28.1 opening quarter, before fan favourite Emmylou Who took over. Content to follow the pacesetter through a :59.2 half and 1:29.1 three-quarters, Kerr waited until the fillies straightened out in the stretch to ask Oaklea Samantha for another gear.

The Amigo Hall daughter responded with a sharp finishing kick that propelled her down the stretch to a one and three-quarter length victory in a track record 1:58.4. Emmylou Who had to settle for second, while Boots N Hearts was eight lengths back in third.

Kerr engineered the victory for trainer Chris Beaver and owner Doug Millard of Woodstock. Millard acquired the filly from last fall’s Forest City Yearling Sale for $22,000, and Beaver thought enough of her ability to take a shot at the Gold Series fillies in the July 13 season opener at Grand River Raceway. Oaklea Samantha made an early break and finished well out of the money, and was required to qualify before her next start. The novice trotter laid down a solid 2:01.4 qualifying effort at Mohawk Racetrack on July 20, but was scratched out of an overnight event at Hanover Raceway on Aug. 5 due to sickness.

In spite of the three and a half week gap in her schedule, Oaklea Samantha was sharp enough to peel one-fifth of a second off the former freshman trotting filly track record of 1:59, established in 2007 by Grassroots competitor and Chris Beaver trainee Only Lonely.

One race before Oaklea Samantha carved her name into the Hiawatha record book, Angostura came close to matching the speed mark. The Angus Hall miss used Tyrone Showgirl as a windbreak in her tour up the outside, and then sprinted away in the stretch to a nine and one-quarter length triumph in 1:59.1.

Trevor Henry drove Angostura to the win for trainer Dan Creighton and his partners in the Danterra Racing Stable of Strathroy, who offered up $30,000 for her at the Forest City Yearling Sale. Thursday’s outing was Angostura’s first lifetime start following a 2:01.4 qualifying effort at Mohawk on Aug. 7.

His appearance in the winner’s circle with Angostura was Trevor Henry’s second of the Grassroots program. The Arthur resident also guided Onehallofawoman to an off the pace squeaker in the fourth race.

Starting from Post 4, Henry settled Onehallofawoman in third on the rail while fan favourite Canada Cool took the field through fractions of :28.3, :59.2 and 1:30.2. Through the stretch the Angus Hall miss made steady gains on the pacesetter until she was able to get a head in front and secure the victory in 2:01.2. Rumor Seelster rounded out the top three, one length behind the leaders.

Rene Laarman conditions Onehallofawoman for Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, who acquired the filly at the Canadian Open Yearling Sale for $35,000. Through her first four starts the young trotter now boasts a record of one win, one second and one third for earnings of $24,694.

The other Grassroots divisions were captured by Desi Seelster in 2:03; Your Word Is Good in 2:01.4; Random Destiny in 2:03; Velten Ladolcevita in 2:00.3; and Ipromisenottotell in 2:00.4.

The two-year-old trotting fillies make the third stop on their Grassroots tour at Hanover Raceway on Sept. 5. Hiawatha Horse Park fans get their third taste of Ontario Sires Stakes excitement on Thursday, Sept. 10 when the gifted three-year-old pacing fillies arrive for Grassroots action.

For complete results please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/results/data/r0813sarfn.dat