HANOVER, ON — After an impressive Canada Day debut that featured four miles faster than 1:57, the two-year-old pacing colts spring back into Grassroots action on Saturday evening at Hanover Raceway.
A total of 56 colts will compete for $126,000 in seven Grassroots divisions and hoping to earn another piece of the Ontario Sires Stakes lucre is Terry Fritz trainee Fit For Carl. The Fit For Life son finished second in a 1:56.2 mile in the season opener, and with several of the top finishers making the jump up to the Gold Series, the Walkerton resident hopes his colt can match or improve on his first Grassroots result this weekend.
“He raced really good in Barrie for his second start,” says Fritz. “He’s just a real nice horse to get along with and he’s tried to be a racehorse right from the start. He’s just a small horse, he’s not much for size, but he tries.”
Douglas Beckett of Tara bred and owns Fit For Carl, whose second run at the Grassroots will be hampered by Post 7 in the ninth race. However, although he would prefer a spot closer to the rail, Fritz does not think the outside post will have a significant impact on the competitive youngster.
“It shouldn’t bother him, but then I don’t know who he’s in against,” says the trainer-driver. “He trained real, real good today (Wednesday).”
Among the colts Fit For Carl will face in Race 9 are three newcomers to the Grassroots, three who saw action at Georgian Downs and one colt stepping down from the Gold Series. One edge Fit For Carl may have over all seven is his familiarity with the Hanover half-mile.
After posting a 2:04 victory in a May 31 qualifier, featuring an impressive :28 last quarter, the colt made his racing debut at Hanover on June 14 where he paced to a third-place finish in a 2:01 mile. Saturday’s contest will be the colt’s third lifetime start, and after dropping just over two seconds in his first two outings he should be among the favourites in spite of Post 7.
“It’s unbelievable how good they have to be now right at the start,” adds Fritz, noting that it is tough to gradually develop a colt’s speed in the competitive Ontario Sires Stakes program. “This guy has been excellent, he’s good mannered and paced free-legged even before we put the hopples on him.”
Other top finishers from the season opener looking to add to their Grassroots point tally at Hanover Raceway are Red Star Bubba, who will start from Post 1 in Race 3 and Passion Lincoln, who gets Post 7 in the seventh race.
The two-year-old pacing colts open Hanover Raceway’s Saturday evening card at 7:20 pm in the first race and also star in Races 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 10.