INNISFIL, OCT. 12, 2005 — Georgian Downs puts $800,000 on the line Saturday as the province’s top Grassroots competitors battle in eight year end Championships.

David Byron trainee Kentucky Rebel paced off with a Grassroots Semifinal victory last weekend and the three-year-old gelding will be looking for another big effort from Post 6 in the tenth race Saturday.

“He got away good and slipped up the rail to win it all,” says Byron of Kentucky Rebel’s Semifinal triumph. “He was kind of lucky, too.”

Owned by Dan Hall and Leah Findlay of Newmarket, the Armbro Operative son qualified for the post season as a two-year-old, but had to be scratched from the Semifinal due to sickness. This season Kentucky Rebel posted two wins and two seconds in six Grassroots starts to finish in a tie for fifth in the standings, and Byron says the young pacer stepped up his game heading into the Grassroots post season.

“He was slow getting started this year and we weren’t sure if he would be good enough,” recalls the Thornton resident. “But the last month or two he’s been good.”

While driver Stephen Byron and Kentucky Rebel will start four positions further outside than they did in last week’s elimination round, the gelding has demonstrated his ability to get the job done from off the pace on more than one occasion. His 1:54.2 personal best came in a come-from-behind effort from Post 6 at Kawartha Downs in the August Grassroots event.

“He can race from off the pace. He doesn’t have to leave if he doesn’t want to,” says the horseman. “I let Stephen decide; he’s pretty versatile.

“I hope a few decide to try leaving and set it up for us. That would be the perfect race, but that never happens,” adds Byron with a wry chuckle. “Two tough ones, one got the one-hole (Caviarandsoftmusic) and the other one got the eight-hole (Gothic Crusader), so it should be interesting.”

In the days leading up to the lucrative season finale Kentucky Rebel will follow the same routine he did before last week’s outing in hopes that it results in the same outcome over his hometown oval.

“We’re doing the same as we did last week. We’re just hoping it works two weeks in a row,” says Byron. “He hasn’t had too much hard training lately and it seems to agree with him.”

Like Thornton, Bud Sinclair will be keeping things low key this week with his three-year-old pacing filly contender Witness To Fame. The ultra consistent filly starts from Post 2 in the eighth race on Saturday and her trainer feels she is in peak condition heading into the $100,000 battle.

“She is as sharp right now as she has ever been,” says Sinclair. “I am just trying to keep her quiet as I can. She’s another one that’s not going to train this week. We’re just trying to keep her happy and healthy.”

Witness To Fame earned her way into last week’s Semifinal round with a trio of wins, one second and one third in five Grassroots starts. Starting from Post 8 in the Semifinal she delivered a gritty effort up the outside to finish second to Armbro Cachet and land her second berth in a Grassroots Championship. At two the filly finished third in her Semifinal and then came up sick before the Final and had to be scratched.

“She’s probably the toughest one I’ve ever trained,” notes Sinclair, who shares ownership on the Apaches Fame miss with Dr. Norman Amos of St. Marys. “She likes to do things her way or no way.”

Bruce Richardson will pilot the filly Saturday and Sinclair expects the winner of $120,091 to be a factor in the race. In 16 starts this season Witness To Fame has only missed earning a cheque on two occasions.

“She goes with the race,” says the Stratford resident. “She doesn’t like to let a horse beat her, so however fast they are going, she goes.”

As long as Mother Nature cooperates, speed records at Georgian Downs will be under pressure Saturday as the cream of the Grassroots crop battles in Races 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. The two-year-old trotting fillies kick things off at 7:35 pm in Race 1 and the three-year-old pacing colts will bring the curtain down on another outstanding season in Race 10.

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