ELORA, ON — Fabulous Flori took early command of the leaderboard with her second Grassroots win of the season in Ontario Sires Stakes action at Grand River Raceway on Friday.
Driver Dave Boughton fired the three-year-old pacing filly off the starting gate from Post 1 and the pair clocked fractions of :28.3 and :59 before allowing Dotted Diamonds to take control just past the halfway marker. Two lengths behind the leader at the 1:27.2 three-quarters, Fabulous Flori shifted into high gear down the stretch and edged her nose in front of Dotted Diamonds to earn the 1:58.2 victory for owner-breeder Paul Lindsey of Fergus.
Favourite Stonebridge Celest went a long tour around the outside of the half-mile oval and was forced to settle for the third-place share of the $15,000 Grassroots purse.
The only winner from the May 28 season opener to earn a second Grassroots trophy, Fabulous Flori currently sits atop the sophomore pacing filly standings with 100 points. Fergus resident Mark Austin trains the Albert Albert daughter, who boosted her bank balance to $66,731 with the win.
While Fabulous Flori was the only winner from the May 28 event to log a repeat, a trio of runner-ups from the season opener boosted their point tally with victories at Grand River on Friday.
Borderlinegorgious scored her first win of the season with an impressive front end triumph in Race 3. No stranger to the winner’s circle, the Rambaran daughter captured the Grassroots Championship as a two-year-old and has earned $149,237 for owners Wall Tyme Stables Inc. of Komoka. Dave Wall handles driving duties and his son Dean trains the talented young pacer, who finished in a dead heat for second on May 28.
Magnificent Millie was two and three-quarter lengths back in Race 3, with She’ll B Aknockout rounding out the top three.
Paul Taylor trainee Whitesand Trick also improved on her season debut with an effortless 1:58.1 score in the last of the nine Grassroots divisions.
Interfered with the early stages of the season opener, Whitesand Trick recovered to finish second, one of the few flaws in a season that has seen her record six wins, one second and one third in eight starts. Friday driver Trevor Henry decided the safest place was the front end and rolled the Astreos daughter, owned by Glenview Livestock Ltd. of Wallenstein, through fractions of :28.4, 1:00 and 1:29.1 en route to the two and three-quarter length victory over Skyler Seelster and Highland Luck.
One of two fillies to better Whitesand Trick’s time on Friday was Lasensa, also a second-place finisher in the May 28 Grassroots. Owned by Allan and John Lockie of Zephyr, the Astreos daughter hit the wire six and a half lengths in front of J M Kimberley and Stage Zing in 1:58.
Lady Lola also paced around the Grand River oval in 1:58, besting Hestia and Lady Luck With You by more than three lengths. Paul Jackson of Bobcaygeon owns Lady Lola, another daughter of Astreos, who started her sophomore season off in the Gold Series.
The remaining Grassroots divisions went to Pauline Seelster in 1:58.2, Moonlit Tori in 2:00.1, Levas Lucille in 1:58.4 and JM Lucky Girl in 1:58.3.
The talented three-year-old pacing fillies return to Grassroots action on July 3 at Flamboro Downs, while Ontario Sires Stakes excitement returns to Grand River Raceway on Canada Day (Friday, July1) with Grassroots action for the dynamic three-year-old trotting fillies.
For a complete list of Friday night’s results please go to:
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rgrvrfr.html