SUDBURY, ON — Sudbury Downs wraps up an outstanding season of Ontario Sires Stakes action this Saturday with its third straight Grassroots wild card event.
Playing the starring role on Saturday evening are the two-year-old trotting colts, and trainer Ross Henry’s Henry Stable has seven chances to earn Grassroots glory with an impressive line-up of provincial contenders. The Arthur-based operation will start five Grassroots regulars and a pair of Gold Series colts in six $18,000 divisions Saturday, with Gold competitors Odee Scoot and Wake Up And Drive going head-to-head in Race 8.
Wayne Henry will pilot Super Pleasure son Odee Scoot from Post 5 and his brother Trevor Henry will send Wake Up And Drive after a win from Post 6. Trevor Henry also handles training duties on Wake Up And Drive and is looking for a solid effort from the Angus Hall son Saturday.
“He qualified really good the other day (Sept. 5) at Mohawk,” says Trevor Henry. “And he raced good in the Champlain (Sept. 1). He made a break, but he raced good.”
With one win, one second and one third in five starts, Wake Up And Drive has displayed an abundance of ability, but has been hampered by a headstrong attitude on the racetrack.
“He’s got pretty aggressive when you try to put him in a hole or take him back,” says the trainer-driver. “He’s got lots of ability, he’s just got to learn how to use it. Right now you’ve kind of got to let him leave and hope you find a position.”
Numbered company 1035840 Ontario Inc. of Arthur bred and owns Wake Up And Drive, who has already earned $37,528 in his brief career.
Next out of the starting gate for the Henry’s is Odee Ozar in Race 9. The Fiesty G G gelding will start from Post 3 and his connections are hoping that he delivers the performance they were expecting in the Aug. 22 Grassroots at Belleville where he finished third after carving all the fractions in a 2:08.4 mile.
“We thought he’d race better in Belleville. He trained really well at home and we thought he’d race better than he did,” says Trevor Henry. “He’s come a long way. He wasn’t much good at the start, but he seems to be improving all the time.”
Virginia Odorico of Limehouse bred and owns Odee Ozar, while her husband Ray bred and owns Odee Scoot and Odee Letsgo, who starts from Post 5 in Race 13.
Trevor Henry jumps back into the race bike in Race 11 with TJs Incredible Lad, an Incredible Abe son he bred and owns in partnership with James Laverty of Sauble Beach. The diminutive colt has amassed an impressive resume of two wins and a third in Grassroots action, and a runner-up finish in a Flamboro Breeders division, and currently sits second in the Grassroots standings with 112 points.
“He’s a nice little horse, he’s not very big, but he likes the small tracks,” says Henry. “He’s the type of horse you can do anything you want with. I don’t think he’s ever made a break in his life.”
TJs Incredible Lad will attempt to add to his Grassroots point total from Post 3 in the eleventh race. Stablemates His Way and Yall Just Jealous will make their bid for a Grassroots win from Post 4 in the tenth race and Post 2 in Race 12.
Sudbury Downs sends its first race to post at 7:15 on Saturday evening and turns the spotlight on the two-year-old trotting colts in Races 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13.