ELMIRA, ON — Elmira Raceway hosted a record number of three-year-old pacing colts on Monday evening and Emersons Aah Jewel recorded the fastest victory of the 12 Grassroots divisions with a 1:56.1 score in the seventh race.
In rein to Reg Gassien, Emersons Aah Jewel tailed pacesetter Au Rumba through fractions of :29, :58.4 and 1:28.1 before blasting down the stretch to the half length victory. Trick Pony finished another four lengths back in third.
It was the second straight win for the Armbro Emerson son and the fifth this season, boosting the colt’s three-year-old earnings to $23,625. Timothy Gillespie trains Emerson’s Aah Jewel for long time Standardbred owner and breeder Len Kordy of Picton.
Last year’s Lampman Cup winner as the top driver in the Ontario Sires Stakes program added two more victories to his 2003 tally with wins in the first and tenth races. In Race 1 Don McElroy teamed up with the top OSS trainer Robert McIntosh to land Dream Rocket in the winner’s circle.
The Pacific Rocket son, owned by Robert McIntosh Stables Inc, of La Salle, Dwight Stacey of Mitchell and Paul Ysebaert of Mooretown, shot to the front from Post 4 and fought off all challengers to score a 1:57.1 win in his second start of the season.
Second and third-place finishers Thomson Seelster and Muzhik Hanover were separated by a whisker at the wire.
McElroy’s other victory came aboard heavy favourite Kurt Rustler in the tenth race. The veteran reinsman opted for a front-end trip for a second time and Kurt Rustler responded with an impressive effort that saw him four lengths ahead of Excel Seelster, and 16 up on Dr. Albert, at the wire. The Rustler Hanover son stopped the clock in a personal best 1:57.3.
Benoit Baillargeon of Rockwood trains Kurt Rustler for his partners C. Tremblay Holding Inc. of Brossard, QC and Les Ecuries Sarah of Laval, QC. The win was the colt’s fourth this season and his second in Grassroots action, putting him in a tie atop the leaderboard with 100 points.
Sharing top spot with Kurt Rustler are Kuche, Tigerama and Apaches Champ, who all scored repeat Grassroots victories at Elmira on Monday night.
Kuche, trained by Bill Robinson for Joan Agro of Dundas, stopped the clock at 1:56.2 in the second division. The Dexter Nukes son and driver Ray McLean, Jr. led from gate to wire, finishing three lengths ahead of Holy Tara and Allraes Valentine.
Four races later Tigerama doubled his Grassroots points with an impressive 1:57.1 victory that saw him recover from an interference break at the start. The Village Jiffy son and driver Terry Kerr were seven lengths to the rear at the quarter mile marker, but took control of the race before the final turn. Richard Griffiths trains Tigerama, a winner of six of eight starts this season, for breeder Robert Hamather of Exeter.
Apaches Champ became the final member of the leading group with a come-from-behind victory in the ninth race. The Apaches Fame son and Elmira regular Jim McClure stalked pacesetter Alexandras Top Hat from fourth and then sprinted down the stretch to the 1:57.1 victory for trainer Gregg McNair and owner Robert B. Chapple of Chatham.
The other divisions went to Vandango Hanover in 1:59.1, Outrageous Luck in 1:58.4, Jacks Dream in 1:58, Twin B Mirage in 1:56.4, Thomas Killean in 1:58.2 and Can You Tieitinabo in 1:56.4.
The three-year-old pacing colts make their next Grassroots start at Belleville’s Quinte Raceway on Aug. 4, while Ontario Sires Stakes action returns to Elmira Raceway on Friday evening with four divisions of two-year-old pacing fillies in their Grassroots debut.