FRASERVILLE, ON — Sophomore pacing filly Bastet Hanover captured her first Grassroots victory with a smart 1:53.3 mile at Kawartha Downs on Tuesday afternoon.
With Tony Kerwood at the lines, the filly powered out of Post 5 to land on the rail behind pacesetter Casual Tide. Through the :28 opening quarter Kerwood allowed the filly to coast before popping her to the outside to take a run at the leader. By the :56.2 half, Bastet Hanover was two lengths on top and the brown daughter of Island Fantasy maintained her comfortable margin through the 1:24.2 three-quarters and on to the two and three-quarter length victory.
Pauls Peanut, owned by trainer-driver Doug Brown of Bowmanville, Paul Pryne of Brampton, Robert Lindsay of Oshawa and Jackson Wittup of Calgary, AB, finished second while Nancys Lucky Lady trailed home seven and three-quarter lengths behind in third.
The win was Bastet Hanover’s third on the season and, combined with the runner-up finish she posted in her only other Grassroots start, bumped her closer to one of 16 berths in the season ending Grassroots Semifinal. Linda Toscano trains the winner of $110,522 for Enviro Stables Ltd. of New York, NY.
Kerwood picked up a second Grassroots victory with Alls Well in the eighth race, opting for similar tactics and hanging on for a head victory over favourite Fit For Britt and St Lads Juicyfruit. The Rustler Hanover daughter stopped the Kawartha Downs teletimer at 1:55.4 to shave almost three seconds off the personal best she logged in her first Grassroots victory June 22 at Georgian Downs.
Stacy Ann Beckley trains Alls Well for Emerald Highlands Farm of Mount Vernon, OH, who also bred the filly.
Two other drivers made multiple visits to the Kawartha Downs winner’s circle on Tuesday’s Grassroots program, with Dan Clements opening the afternoon with a daily double in the first two races with Warrawee Flare and Sentbytheangels.
Warrawee Flare enhanced her already impressive record to four wins and one fifth in five Grassroots starts with her decisive 1:55.2 victory over Ms Marlene and Whirling Away. The win was the Northern Luck daughter’s third straight and her seventh on the season through nine starts. Adrianne Lickers trains the talented youngster for Break N Run Racing Stable of Ohsweken.
Sentbytheangels returned to her winning form in the second race and brought runner-up She’s A Blast’s undefeated streak to a close at four Grassroots races. Trained by Brett Robinson for Gerrie Tucker of Montreal, QC, Sentbytheangels battled to the nose victory in 1:54 to bring her Grassroots record to three wins, one third and one fourth for a total of 170 points.
Favourite Cohenikova settled for third spot, well behind the battling leaders, after carving all the early fractions.
Randy Fritz also scored back-to-back victories in Races 11 and 12. The reinsman piloted Run The Table filly Tosexyforthedriver to a wire-to-wire 1:55 victory over Josee Rocket and Blue Ides for trainer Bruce MacDonald and owner Mardon Stables of Loretto, then came back in the next race with a come-from-behind effort with M T Freedom.
M T Freedom led a pair of longshots, runner-up Soutine Hanover and third-place finisher Psychic Hanover, across the wire in front of favourite Simply Lucky. The Albert Albert daughter, trained by William Companion for the Common Sense Stable of Rockwood and Melissa Robinson of Calgary, AB, also stopped the clock at 1:55 in her second Grassroots victory.
The other Grassroots divisions went to Apache Dame in 1:56.1, Patty Ben Beau in 1:55, Lucys Fame in 1:55.3 and Village Jangle in 1:56.2. The three-year-old pacing fillies complete their Grassroots season on Oct. 7 at Hiawatha Horse Park, with the top 16 point earners advancing to the Grassroots Semifinals Oct. 23 at Georgian Downs.
Ontario Sires Stakes excitement returns to Kawartha Downs next Tuesday, Aug. 24 with Grassroots action for the two-year-old pacing colts.