GLOUCESTER, ON — Two-year-old trotting colt McCarron will leap into the Gold Series fray at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Friday evening and trainer Mark Steacy is hoping the colt emerges as a contender.

“He’s gone through a little bit of aches and pains, through the spring and early summer, but he qualified real nice,” says Steacy. “I think he’s going to be a nice colt.”

McCarron, an $82,000 US purchase at last November’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale, qualified at Rideau Carleton on Aug. 9. The son of Angus Hall and $223,312 winner Fiery Chip toured the five-eighths mile oval in 2:02.4 to finish third behind a pair of older horses. Steacy considered sending McCarron to the Grassroots for his first provincial start, but opted for the proximity and familiarity of the Gloucester oval.

“He probably would have went to the Grassroots the first time, but Ottawa is so close for me,” explains the Lansdowne resident, who trains McCarron for David Reid of Glenburnie, Dr. Malcolm Man Son Hing of Nepean, David McDonald of Cornwall and A K Malik Stable of Ottawa.

McCarron impressed Steacy early, so the colt’s owners kept him eligible to a significant number of stakes engagements. Although Steacy intends to limit the colt’s starts this season, he hopes McCarron can give a sufficient demonstration of his abilities to guide the group’s decisions around sustaining payments for next year.

“I’m not sure how many we’ll use this year,” says the horseman, who trained trotting colt Majestic Son to Canada’s Horse of the Year title last season. “But I’m hoping he can show enough so we’ll know how to stake him going into next year. I think he’s got lots of potential. I think he’s got a very bright future.”

Steacy will drive McCarron himself on Friday, facing off against a field of five Gold Series veterans from Post 4 in the third race. Among the colts McCarron will encounter in his debut is Aug. 2 Gold Elimination winner Andiron Springs, who will be looking to atone for a break in the Aug. 10 Gold Final from Post 5.

The second $50,000 elimination features Kadabra son Pizzazzed, who won his Aug. 2 elimination at Mohawk Racetrack and finished second in the Gold Final.

The top four colts from each elimination, plus one fifth-place finisher selected by random draw, will return to Rideau Carleton on Friday, Aug. 24 for their third $130,000 Gold Final.

Rideau Carleton Raceway’s Friday evening program gets under way at 6:30 pm, with the two-year-old trotting colts showing off their skills in Races 3 and 6.

For complete entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/eridcffr.html