SARNIA, ON — Two-year-old pacing colt B Js Boomerang brought Hiawatha Horse Park fans to their feet on Saturday night when he delivered an outstanding 1:54.4 mile to capture the second of five Grassroots divisions.
In his first start north of the border B Js Boomerang sat in behind early pacesetters Outrageous Luck and Lexus Bandito through a :27.1 opening quarter and :56.1 half before driver Michael Langdon asked for a second gear. Going by the 1:25 three-quarters B Js Boomerang and Langdon pulled three-wide around stalled cover and fired to the front. From there the Precious Bunny colt was all alone, sailing under the wire eight and a quarter lengths ahead of Lexus Bandito and Jimmy Crack Cohen.
Aubrey Friedman of Burlington and Brian Nixon of Centerport, NY own B Js Boomerang, who had a pair of wins at Yonkers Raceway on his resume before entering the Grassroots fray. With one regular season event remaining on the freshman colts’ schedule, the Mark Harder trainee could move into the top 16 with another impressive effort at Georgian Downs on Oct. 19.
Jody Jamieson scored the Grassroots driving double at Hiawatha Horse Park on Saturday night, gracing the track’s winner’s circle after Races 3 and 8.
The young reinsman used a classic come-from-behind strategy to earn Midnight Rustler his first Grassroots trophy in the third race. Leaving from Post 5 the duo landed on the rail in sixth spot and watched patiently as Mikis King led the field through fractions of :26.2, :55.3 and 1:25. When favourite Trinket Island started up the outside heading to the three-quarters Jamieson sent Midnight Rustler after him and then powered by in the stretch to a solid three and three-quarter length victory in a personal best 1:55.2. Tigerama got up for second while pacesetter Mikis King held on for third.
Trainer James Wellwood of Ancaster shares ownership on Midnight Rustler with Miszuk Stables of Hamilton and John Douglas Smith and Ruth Maudsley of Dundas. The partners opted to start the gelding in the Gold Series in his provincial debut and after failing to advance through the elimination round they dropped down to the Grassroots in time for the Sept. 2 event at Dresden Raceway where the Rustler Hanover colt finished fifth. After two Grassroots outings Midnight Rustler sits just below the current cut off for a post season berth.
One race later Jamieson was back in front of the track photographer with another son of Rustler Hanover. The gritty Fort Rustler clawed his way to the 1:57 win up the outside, not seeing the rail until he reached the front, just steps away from the wire. Favourite and pacesetter Daylon Alert held on for second by a hair over Artic Premium and Kable Kar Hanover.
Ted MacDonnell trains Fort Rustler for Steve Nanna of Utica, NY and Anthony Graziano of Ocean Twp., NJ and the Allenford resident will be looking for another big effort from the colt in his second Grassroots outing on Oct. 19 in order to qualify him for the Nov. 2 Semifinal.
Last season’s Lampman and Johnston Cup winning driver and trainer teamed up for a win in the final Grasroots division. Don McElroy piloted Bob McIntosh trainee Dream Rocket to an impressive wire-to-wire victory in 1:56.1. Spare Time Scout and favourite Kuche could get no closer than five and three-quarter lengths as the Pacific Rocket son laid down fractions of :26.3, :57.4 and 1:26.4 en route to the win.
Mooretown’s Paul Ysebaert shares ownership on Dream Rocket with Windsor resident McIntosh and Dwight Stacey of Mitchell and the colt moved into third spot in the division point race with his second Grassroots victory.
The other division went to Mattjestic Pistol, who logged a 1:57.2 victory for trainer-driver Joe Hudon of Acton and William Taylor of Hensall. The win over favourite Muskoka Irish and Ask Again moved the His Mattjesty son into fifth spot in the division standings.
The two-year-old pacing colts wrap up their regular season at Georgian Downs on Oct. 19 and the top 16 point earners return to Georgian Downs on Nov. 2 for two $30,000 Grassroots Semifinals, with the top eight finishers moving on to the $100,000 Championship on Nov. 9.
Hiawatha Horse Park hosts two more Ontario Sires Stakes event before the end of the season, the exciting three-year-old pacing colts in their second last Grassroots event on Oct. 5 and the three-year-old pacing fillies in their final Trillium Series event on Nov. 9.