HANOVER, ON — Hanover Raceway wraps up its 2002 Ontario Sires Stakes season on Wednesday evening with a visit from the two-year-old trotting fillies. Forty-one freshman fillies will compete for a total of $90,000 in six Grassroots divisions and local horseman Bryan Lawrence is hoping that Westbay Jane can earn a share of the provincial riches from Post 2 in the tenth race.
After two Grassroots starts the Wesgate Crown daughter is just below the cut off for a post season berth, with eight points earned in a fourth-place finish at Hiawatha Horse Park on July 4, and Lawrence thinks if everything goes according to plan she will be able to make a move up the point standings on Wednesday.
“This is actually the best post she has had, she has had four seven-holes,” says the Hanover resident. “So we hope she is healthy and, if she is, I think she’ll get a chunk of it.”
Like many young horses across the province Westbay Jane has been battling a low grade virus for the last month and Lawrence hopes the filly is finally starting to feeling more like herself.
“We’d just kind of get her feeling better and then she’d start coughing again,” says the trainer, who shares ownership on Westbay Jane with his cousin Stuart Lawrence of Waterloo. “I trained her today (Friday) and she trained good, so we’ll hope for the best.”
Larry Hughes will be in his regular spot behind Westbay Jane on Wednesday night and Lawrence has high praise for the Hanover resident’s handling of the filly through her seven race career.
“One of the guys who drives a lot of two-year-olds told me you just cross your fingers until you get around the first turn. That’s why I’ve stuck with Larry Hughes, he’s a friend of mine, and if I have any luck with her this year and she stays healthy I know I’ll have a horse next year,” he explains. “I don’t think she’s ever been touched with the whip and I don’t think she ever will be; and I think she’ll be a lot better for it.”
Lawrence’s main concern heading into Wednesday’s race is the filly who will start from Post 5, Sarahs Crown. Another daughter of Wesgate Crown, Sarahs Crown captured her Aug. 5 Grassroots division at Dresden Raceway and impressed Lawrence with a 2:03.4 victory at Hanover the week before.
“I think maybe that’s the best Grassrooter so far,” he says. “She won at Dresden and she won a race here at Hanover before that. She was really impressive here, she come her last half in 1:00.1. But, one thing about all these divisions, you’ll get your chance to draw away from those ones through the season.”
In addition to Sarahs Crown, Hughes and Westbay Jane will face five other fillies hoping to haul a Grassroots trophy home in their trailer on Wednesday. The two-year-old trotting lasses kick off Hanover Raceway’s midweek program at 6:20 pm in Race 1 and are also featured in Races 3, 6, 7, 9, and 10.