ELMIRA, JUNE 27, 2003 — Elmira Raceway hosts the second Grassroots event of the season for the three-year-old pacing colts on Monday evening and, for the second time this year, a record number of colts will compete for a total of $216,000 in provincial lucre.
Among the 95 colts filling Elmira’s entire 12 race program on Monday is Excel Seelster, who has made a remarkable return to the races after coming within inches of death following last year’s Battle of Waterloo.
“He was actually never supposed to race again,” says the colt’s trainer Bud Sinclair. “After the Battle of Waterloo he had a knee infection and they operated on it and ended up telling us he was done. They pretty much told us to ship him for meat.”
Sinclair and owner Dr. Norman Amos of St. Marys disagreed with the veterinarians and decided they would follow an aggressive course of antibiotics and then let time and Mother Nature take their course.
“He was such a nice two-year-old there was no way we were going to ship him, so we just turned him out in a field and forgot about him basically,” says Sinclair. “Then as soon as he started going through the field sound we brought him back in and started him back real slow. We sent him down to Brad Pittock and he walked him on the equiciser and swam him for the first month.”
When Excel Seelster seemed ready to race Sinclair and Amos entered the Dexter Nukes son in a non-winners of $2,500 contest at Western Fair Raceway and held their breath. Excel Seelster, with Dave Wall in the race bike, finished second by two and a half lengths. Since then the colt has posted three wins, two more seconds and two thirds and earned a total of $20,382. One of his wins came in the Grassroots season opener at Woodstock Raceway where he lowered his personal best to 1:58.
“When he won that first Sires Stakes it was quite a turn around from what he was supposed to be,” says Sinclair. “He’s got an ugly looking knee on him, but he’s as sound as a dollar.”
Excel Seelster and regular driver Trevor Henry will make their bid for a second Grassroots win from Post 8 in the tenth race on Monday.
Sinclair and Henry will also team up in the ninth race with Alexandras Snap, who will start from the outside Post 7. In spite of the 13 starts under his belt this season, Sinclair says the Dexter Nukes gelding is just starting to figure out the intricacies of the racing game.
“He’s a big, lazy horse that is just starting to learn what racing is all about,” explains the Sebringville resident. “He’s got a lot of pace to him, but he’s a long time kicking into gear. He really hasn’t put any effort into it yet, but when he gets the idea I think he’ll turn into a real nice colt.”
Amos shares ownership on Alexandras Snap with Murray Neilson of London. Through his 13 starts the pacer has accumulated one win, two seconds and four thirds for earnings of $9,056, and he finished fourth in the Woodstock Grassroots.
Elmira Raceway’s three-year-old pacing colt showcase gets under way at 7:30 pm on Monday, with all 12 races featuring the talented Grassroots competitors.