CLINTON, ON — Layton Seelster continued his romp through the three-year-old pacing colt Grassroots ranks with a five and a half length victory at Clinton Raceway on Sunday afternoon.
In rein to Brad Forward, the Western Maverick son led the field through fractions of :28.1, :58.3 and 1:27.2 before accelerating away to a 1:55.2 personal best, the fastest mile of the nine Grassroots divisions.
“He’s certainly done very well,” said Mitchell resident Dwight Stacey of Layton Seelster. “Likely he’ll just stay in the Grassroots.”
Stacey shares ownership on Layton Seelster with trainer Bob McIntosh of Windsor. Unraced at two, Layton Seelster has been flawless in Grassroots action this season, posting eight and one-quarter length victories in the June 21 season opener at Dresden Raceway and again at Woodstock Raceway on July 7. Through 10 starts the colt has posted four wins, two seconds and two thirds for earnings of $49,585.
With a total of 150 Grassroots points, Layton Seelster sits tied for the top spot in the division standings with Alexie Mattosie, who is also undefeated through the first three Grassroots events.
Sterling Chris finished second to Layton Seelster in the ninth race, with A Regular Terror, owned by George, Catherine, Dustin and Darcy McClure of Clinton, rounding out the top three.
Layton Seelster’s victory was the second of three straight put together by McIntosh and Forward. The pair led off their successful afternoon in Race 8 with Lucky Herb, who cruised along on the front end to a 1:56.3 triumph over Roberto and fan favourite Azoreansailor.
McIntosh bred and owns Lucky Herb in partnership with C S X Stables of Liberty Center, OH and Dave Boyle of Bowmanville, ON. In his first two Grassroots appearances the son of Camluck and Coriander Hanover recorded a fifth and a seventh-place finish, so Sunday’s success provided a much needed boost back into the race for a berth in the Oct. 25 Grassroots Semifinals at Rideau Carleton Raceway. Only the top 16 point earners through the six event regular season advance to the Semifinals, with the top four finishers from each Semifinal earning a berth in the $100,000 Grassroots Championship on Nov. 1.
Sixth in the Grassroots Championship as a two-year-old, Lucky Herb has just three starts under his belt this season, and Sunday’s win was his first top three finish.
Forward and McIntosh completed their hat trick in the eleventh race with Panjour Monsieur, who sat in the pocket through the first half of the race and then circled out three wide to claim the lead. The son of No Pan Intended and French Panicure accelerated away from the field in the stretch to a five length victory in 1:58. Montanez picked up the second-place finisher’s share of the $24,000 purse, holding off a hard charging King Pete.
Peter Pan Stables Inc. of Pepper Pike, OH bred and own Panjour Monsieur, who now has two wins and one third to his credit through six sophomore starts. Sunday’s win boosted the colt’s lifetime bank balance to $45,890. The young pacer opened his sophomore Ontario Sires Stakes campaign at the Gold Series level, but finished seventh in his July 4 Gold Elimination.
The other Grassroots trophies went home with Tommy Tiger in 1:56; Uncle Bill Mac in 1:56.1; The Ladies Man in 1:56.4; Eh in 1:58.3; Alexie Mattosie in 1:58; and Vals Fortune in 1:57.3.
The sophomore pacing colts continue their heated Grassroots rivalry at Kawartha Downs on Aug. 22. Clinton Raceway fans will wrap up their 2008 Ontario Sires Stakes experience on Sept. 6 with the fourth Grassroots event for the three-year-old trotting colts.
For complete results please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/results/data/r0802clntnn.dat.