CLINTON, ON — With just eight starts under his belt heading into Sunday’s Grassroots event at Clinton Raceway Out All Night is a novice compared to most of his peers, but owner Graham Jackson says the three-year-old trotting colt has been developing nicely over the last three months.
“We haven’t hurried him, we’ve just been bringing him along slow,” says the Listowel resident. “And he’s done all right, he’s never finished worse than fourth.”
Unraced at two, Out All Night made his debut at Hanover Raceway on June 3 and has amassed a record of one win, three seconds, one third and three fourths in eight starts since. His victory came at Clinton Raceway on June 18 when he recorded a 2:05.4 effort in the second of three consecutive starts at the half-mile oval.
The son of Earl and Just One Night earned his way into the Grassroots program with a runner-up finish at Hanover Raceway on Aug. 12 and Out All Night proved that he belongs on the provincial stage with a solid third-place effort behind the undefeated division leader I’m Classy.
“He’s kind of a nice horse. He’s a big horse, over 16 hands,” notes Jackson, who also bred the gelding. “He isn’t a super horse, he’s just a young horse learning the trade. Hopefully he’ll be all right down the road.”
Out All Night and driver Ross Battin take their second run at the Grassroots colts from Post 6 in the tenth race at Clinton on Sunday, and Jackson does not expect the outside post will have a significant impact on the young trotter.
“He can handle the turns pretty good,” explains the longtime owner. “He’s been trained on a farm track and that helps a lot.”
Wingham resident Bob Anderson handles training duties on the colt, although Jackson jokes that his job may be in jeopardy.
“Tony Montini would like to get a hold of the horse I think,” says Jackson with a chuckle. “He’d like to see him down at Woodbine.”
Montini, one of the leading trainers on the Woodbine-Mohawk circuit, has trained Out All Night’s $672,841 winning full brother Just A Lad for most of the last four years.
“He really thinks a lot of Just A Lad,” explains Jackson. “He says Just A Lad is one of the best trotters he’s ever trained.”
In spite of Montini’s apparent interest in Out All Night, Jackson says he has no desire to see the trotter change hands and is looking forward to watching the gelding’s continued development.
“I think he’ll be a real nice horse when he gets a little age on him,” says Jackson, who has a full brother and a full sister to the gelding waiting in the wings and bred Just One Night to Amigo Hall this year.
For now, however, Jackson, Anderson and their prot�g� will have their eyes focused on Sunday’s battle, which will see Out All Night square off against a tough field of six Grassroots regulars.
Post time for the first Grassroots showdown on Sunday is 1:30 pm, with the other divisions rolling in behind the Clinton Raceway starting gate in Races 2, 3, 4, 10, 11 and 12.
For complete entries please go to:
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/eclntnsu.html