BELLEVILLE, ON — Anthony MacDonald had the keys to the winner’s circle at Quinte Exhibition Raceway clutched firmly in his hand on Monday afternoon, scoring victories in three of six Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots divisions and two overnight events.

The 29-year-old MacDonald kicked off his Victoria Day celebration with an upset aboard Luck Alice in the first $17,196 Grassroots contest. Accelerating quickly to the front from Post 3, Luck Alice and MacDonald rolled through fractions of :30.2, 1:01.2 and 1:30.4 and then dug hard through the stretch to hold off runner-up Monas Madison by a nose. Julies Operator was four and a half lengths behind the winners in third.

It was the first lifetime win for Luck Alice, who is trained by Stanley Atkinson for Val Spar Stable of West Hill and Kenneth Raspin of Goderich. The Camluck miss was making just her tenth lifetime start at Quinte on Monday.

Four races later MacDonald was back in front of the Belleville fans with his second Grassroots winner, Crispy Critter, who matched Luck Alice’s trip almost step for step. After overcoming interference from the rail horse, Crispy Critter powered away from the field to a :29.4 opening quarter, led throughout the mile and then battled down the stretch to score a nose victory. Vals Joanie settled for second and Glass Act was well behind the leaders in third.

John Bond trains Crispy Critter for Jeffrey Clark of Centreville, MD, Vernon Cannon of Church Hill, MD and James Wilson Clark of Centreville, MD. The Rustler Hanover lass now has two wins in eight starts under her belt in her first racing season.

MacDonald logged his third win of the night in a non-winners of two event in the seventh race, and then picked up the Grassroots hat trick with Beechwood Duchess in Race 9. The only filly to win from an outside post on Monday afternoon, Beechwood Duchess sat at the back of the pack through the early going, circled up three-wide at the three-quarter marker and then sprinted down the stretch to reel in Imagine Freedom and Galaxy Any Size.

The 2:00 clocking matched the time Beechwood Duchess logged in a May 12 victory at Western Fair Raceway and boosted her lifetime record to three wins and six thirds in 17 starts. Jared Bothwell of Waterdown trains the Albert Albert daughter for his partners R A W Equine Inc., of Mississauga and Annemarie Colville of Waterdown.

MacDonald capped his five win afternoon with a victory in a claiming contest in Race 10, the last race of Quinte Exhibition Raceway’s holiday Monday program.

In other Grassroots action, Easy Prey and Gord Brown logged the fastest mile of the six divisions with a 1:59.3 effort in Race 5. The pair tucked in behind Teacher Supreme as that filly rolled through fractions of :29, :59.1 and 1:29.2, then battled down the stretch to a narrow victory over Pacific Yankee and Teacher Supreme.

Fred Drouillard of Lynden bred, owns and trains Easy Prey, who was making her fourth start of the season on Monday. The win was a personal best for the Apaches Fame miss.

Dreamfair Zoya clocked the second fastest mile, stopping the clock at 1:59.4 in the third race, and Calling On Angels went wire-to-wire in the eighth race to post a 2:00.2 win.

The three-year-old pacing fillies are back in Grassroots action on June 16 at Western Fair Raceway, while Quinte Exhibition Raceway hosts its second Grassroots event on Friday, July 7.

Complete results are available at:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rblvlmo.html