DRESDEN, ON — Two-year-old trotting colt CDs Eldorado does not have to win his Grassroots division at Dresden Raceway on Sunday, but owner Clarence Duquette sure would appreciate it if the young trotter picked up a cheque.

“We’ve got enough money to buy groceries for this weekend, but it would be nice to get some for next weekend,” says the Comber resident, with a laugh.

Adding to the pressure on the young trotter is the growing size of his fan club. When he finished third in the July 27 Grassroots event at Clinton Raceway, there were only a few members of the Duquette family on hand, but at Dresden on Sunday there will be a full cheering section.

“My mother is 88 years old and I promised I would take her to the races on Sunday,” explains Duquette. “So if the horse races decent, it would be nice for me.”

Working in the Dr Ronerail son’s favour is his post position — Don McElroy will steer CDs Eldorado from Post 3 in the fifth race. What might make it tough for him is the competition — two of them, Vangogh Lavictoire and O Grady, have already posted wins in Grassroots action and Pembrook Street has a pair of seconds. Pembrook Street will start from Post 1, Vangogh Lavictoire gets Post 4 and O Grady has drawn Post 6 for the second of four $20,000 Grassroots skirmishes on the Sunday matinee.

Duquette, who bred and raised CDs Eldorado at his farm, hopes that the trotter’s steady nature will stand him in good stead over the Dresden half-mile, but if things do not work out well for the colt the owner is prepared to shrug it off and wait for next year.

“I am not one to race two-year-olds too much. I had to be coaxed into racing this one,” admits Duquette, who has bred and owned various breeds of horses since he was a child. “I’ve got the pasture, and I’ve got the hay, so let’s let them grow up a little bit. All you’re out is six to eight months of feeding.”

While Duquette agreed with trainer Reg Mulholland that CDs Eldorado showed enough promise to earn a shot on the freshman Grassroots circuit, the veteran horseman stipulated that the colt be raced lightly and never pushed outside his comfort zone.

Mulholland qualified the colt at Dresden on July 13, with Danny Johnson steering CDs Eldorado to a fifth-place finish in 2:10 over a track rated three seconds slower than normal, and then entered him the second Grassroots event on the two-year-old trotting colt schedule. Against a group of colts that had already seen provincial action, Don McElroy piloted CDs Eldorado to a steady third-place finish in 2:06.3.

“You can’t get too high on these horses,” says Duquette, “But it sure is nice to start with something that at least has a little potential.”

The first foal out of Duquette’s mare St Lads Abby, a Grassroots winner during her own racing career, CDs Eldorado will try and show off more of his potential on Dresden Raceway’s Sunday matinee, which gets under way at 1 pm. The two-year-old trotting colts are featured in Races 3, 5, 7, and 9, competing for a total of $80,000 in Grassroots purse money.

For complete entries please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/edressu.html.