SARNIA, ON — Giddy Up Lucky wrapped up the Grassroots regular season with a flawless record of three wins in three starts after capturing his $20,000 division at Hiawatha Horse Park on Thursday evening.

Local colt Bigmizndrstnding won the battle for early control in the seventh race, sprinting away from Post 2 to a :26.3 opening quarter, but Giddy Up Lucky was sitting on his flank the whole way and took command well before the :55.3 half. Through a 1:23.2 clocking the prohibitive favourite maintained a one and a half length lead that he was able to extend to a full two lengths before reaching the wire in 1:52.2.

Bigmizndrstnding, trained by Sarnia resident Jim Ainsworth for his father Larry Ainsworth of Petrolia and breeder William Boden of Vancouver, BC, had to settle for second and Lyons Geoff paced into third.

The win boosted Giddy Up Lucky’s sophomore record to six wins, three seconds and four thirds in 17 starts for earnings of $112,890. Trained by Jean Louis Arsenault for David Shea of Campbellville and Reg Petitpas of Shediac Bridge, NB, Giddy Up Lucky did not win his first race until the Aug. 1 Grassroots event at Flamboro Downs, but since then the gelding has been nothing short of outstanding, finishing no worse than second here at home and delivering a third in his heat and a fifth in the final of the historic Little Brown Jug in September.

Regular reinsman Paul Mackenzie engineered Thursday’s triumph.

Keystone Debonair delivered an impressive effort in the ninth race to claim a nine and a half length victory in 1:53.1 and jump to the top of the three-year-old pacing colt point standings. The Grinfromeartoear son and driver Don McElroy wrestled control of the race away from Clarkbro Express just past the :27 quarter, maintained a steady pace to the :56 half and then started to power away from the field, reaching the three-quarters in 1:24.1.

Borderline Western closed better than the rest of the field to earn runner-up honours and Lenny Briscoe finished third, 12 and a half lengths behind the leader.

John Kopas trains Keystone Debonair for his father Jack Kopas of Ilderton and breeder George Hempt of Camp Hill, PA. Through six Grassroots starts the colt recorded three wins, one second and one third for 187 points and a share of the division lead heading into the post season.

Keystone Debonair shares top spot in the division standings with Legal Litigator, who eked out a quarter length victory in the last Grassroots division. After leading for most of the mile, the Camluck gelding fought hard in the stretch to claim the 1:54.4 victory, holding off The Comeback Kid and fan favourite Marquis Player.

Like Keystone Debonair, Legal Litigator scored three wins, one second and one third in Grassroots action, but did it in just five appearances. The Paul Taylor trainee was driven to Thursday’s victory by Trevor Henry and is owned by breeder Robert Hamather of Exeter.

The other two Grassroots divisions went to Auctioneer in 1:53.4 and Whitesand Macgyver in 1:54.3.

The top 16 point earners from the regular season will now head to Flamboro Downs for a pair of Grassroots Semifinals on Oct. 16. The top four finishers from the Semifinal will then return to Flamboro on Oct. 24 for a shot at the three-year-old pacing colt crown.

Thursday’s sophomore pacing colt showdown wrapped up Hiawatha Horse Park’s 2008 Ontario Sires Stakes season, which also brought fans impressive performances from the two-year-old pacing fillies, three-year-old trotting fillies and two-year-old trotting colts.

For complete results please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rsarfth.html.