WINDSOR, ON — Husband and wife team Joe and Karen Hudon shipped a pair of two-year-old trotting fillies to Windsor Raceway for Sunday’s Grassroots contest and went home $24,000 and two trophies richer.

The Acton, ON residents’ successful evening started in the fourth $24,000 Grassroots division with Dabrina. Accelerating away from Post 3, the Kadabra daughter controlled the pace from start to finish, clocking fractions of :29, 1:00, and 1:31 on her way to a three-quarter length victory in 2:01.2. The fan favourite held off a late charge from Out Of The Kitchen and Incredible Emmy Go was three more lengths back in third.

Karen Hudon drives Dabrina and Joe Hudon Jr. trains and shares ownership of the talented youngster with R A W Equine Inc. of Burlington, ON and Herbert Boggs of Duncan, BC. Through six Grassroots starts this season Dabrina boasts an impressive record of four wins, one second and one third for a division leading 237 points.

Two races later the couple’s second starter, Magic Wheel, lined up behind the Windsor starting gate at Post 8. Firing off the wings the filly was fourth at the :28.3 quarter clocked by Last Chance Babie, but had reached the front before the :57.4 half and proceeded to pull away from her peers. Two and a half lengths ahead at the 1:28.4 three-quarters, Magic Wheel turned for home four and a half lengths on top and hit the wire a full 10 lengths ahead of Jayport Kashier and Shez So Striking, halting the teletimer at 2:00.

Karen Hudon and Margaret Payne of St. Augustine, FL share ownership of Magic Wheel, who has two wins, two seconds and one third to her credit through five Grassroots starts for a point tally of 162, second only to her stablemate. The Kadabra daughter also tried her hand at the Gold Series level, but finished sixth in her Aug. 19 Gold Elimination, failing to make the Gold Final.

Some Like It Hot posted the quickest mile of the five Grassroots divisions on Sunday, cruising around the Windsor oval on the front end to a 1:59.4 score for trainer-driver Lyle MacArthur. Fan favourite Rise N Shine had to settle for second, one and one-half lengths behind the winner, and Stewardess rounded out the top three.

MacArthur conditions Some Like It Hot for Linda Wellwood of St. George Brant, ON, Tammy Aspden of Caistor Centre, ON, Anne Shunock of Dorchester, ON and Diane Ingham of Mount Pleasant, ON. The Ken Warkentin daughter took two runs at the Gold Series fillies before trying her hand at the Grassroots level, where she boasts a flawless record of three wins in three starts for 150 points.

Honey Thorn gave it her best shot, trouncing the competition by six lengths in the second division, but it was not enough to propel the Here Comes Herbie daughter into the Grassroots post season. Honey Thorn and driver Randy Waples rocked through the last half of the race to a 2:01.12 victory over Anotherdayinthered and Abes My Uncle, but the filly’s 62 point total fell just short of the 66 needed for a top 16 placing.

Tied with four other fillies who earned 62 points in the regular season, Honey Thorn’s only hope to extend her season is for some of the fillies ranked ahead of her to opt out of the Oct. 15 Grassroots Semifinals. Christopher Beaver of Radnor, OH trains Honey Thorn — who finished third in her only other Grassroots start — for his partner Wilbur Lang of Jamestown, OH.

The other division went to Mark Steacy trainee J N Payton, who swept to the front around the final turn and halted the teletimer at 2:00. Mike Saftic engineered the victory for Shawn Steacy of Lansdowne, ON, Landmark III Racing Stable of Elginburg, ON, George Judson of Athens, ON and Dr. Malcolm Man Son Hing of Campbell River, BC.

J N Payton wrapped up her Grassroots campaign with 138 points earned through two wins, one second, one fourth and one fifth in five outings. Neither second-place finisher Ashlake, nor third-place finisher Promising Lass advanced to the post season.

The two-year-old trotting fillies now have almost two weeks to sharpen their skills for the Oct. 15 Grassroots Semifinals at Western Fair Raceway. The top four finishers from each $30,000 Semifinal will then get a crack at the division title in the $100,000 Championship on Oct. 23.

Next up on Windsor Raceway’s action-packed Ontario Sires Stakes calendar is the $130,000 Gold Final for the brilliant three-year-old pacing colts. Elimination winners Mach Dreamer and Twin B Warrior square off in the seventh race at Windsor Raceway this Tuesday, Oct. 5, with the first race getting under way at 7 pm.

For complete results please go to: Windsor Raceway Results — Oct. 3, 2010