SARNIA, NOV. 1, 2001 — Veteran reinsman Don McElroy captured three of four sophomore Grassroots Championships at Hiawatha Horse Park on Thursday night, missing a sweep by just three lengths. The victories propelled the Ingersoll resident to the top of the Ontario Sires Stakes driver standings and, with just one weekend remaining in the 2001 OSS season, leave him poised to earn his first Lampman Cup.
McElroy kicked off an outstanding evening of racing at the Sarnia oval with a four and one quarter length romp with Sweet Dreams Baby in the trotting filly Championship.
McElroy eased the Super Pleasure daughter off the gate from Post 5, but had her on the move early, taking control heading past the halfway marker. As the field swept by the three-quarters Sweet Dreams Baby and McElroy were a length ahead of the competition and they continued to extend their lead without facing a serious challenge, rolling under the wire in 2:01.
“I was really impressed with this mare last week. Rene (Bourassa) has done a really good job with her,” said McElroy after the race. “The first part of the year she didn’t really have her gait set very good, that’s why she wore the trotting hopples, but in her last two or three starts she’s just trotted one-two-three.”
Trainer Rene and Kim Bourassa of Rockwod and Gilles and Huguette Caouette of Campbellville own Sweet Dreams Baby, acquiring her out of the Carl Jamieson consignment at last fall’s mixed sale for $20,000. In 17 starts this season she has captured six wins, five seconds and one third for a total of $135,829. Her 2:01 mile in the Grassroots Championship was a personal best, shaving one-fifth of a second off the time she clocked in last week’s Semifinal.
Hiawatha fans sent the filly off as their second choice, giving their loyalty to local favourite Lady Byng, owned by Dale Hunter of Petrolia and Richard Hunter of Oil Springs. Unfortunately Lady Byng finished sixth after making a break at the start of the race. King Conch daughters Armbro Vail and My Final Answer trotted into second and third-place.
Two races later McElroy was back in the Hiawatha winner’s circle with three-year-old trotting colt Hetties Valley, using the same race strategy that had been successful with Sweet Dreams Baby. The Semifinal winners and fan favourites got away fourth from Post 1, took control before the half and powered home to a two length 1:59.2 victory over the other Semifinal winner Twin B Sporty and At A Boy Adam.
Budd Thorne of Fergus trains Hetties Valley for his partners Robert Rombough of Mississauga and Dave Pearse and Cybertrot of Whitby. The partners added $50,000 to the $69,576 the Valleymeister son had already amassed this season from a record of five wins, six seconds and two thirds in 14 starts.
McElroy missed a four-race sweep of the Grassroots Championship when he and Hurtin N Flirtin finished third behind heavy favourite Private Session and Estherdays News in the sophomore pacing filly Final.
“Mr. OSS” Dave Wall and Private Session dominated the Final, much as they dominated the division this season, going wire-to-wire in 1:56 to remain undefeated in Grassroots action and record their fourth straight victory.
Rick Fife trains the Dexter Nukes lass for Kevin Isaac of Bridgenorth and the Hastings resident was thrilled with Private Session’s effort on Thursday.
“I can’t believe the performance she put in tonight,” said Fife. “It’s been a long year for her and it wears on them, but she put in a gutsy performance tonight.”
Fife added that Private Session’s next start will be in the Gold Series Super Final at Mohawk Racetrack on Nov. 10. The only horse who will compete in both the Grassroots and Gold post season, Private Session could potentially capture both titles. In her last start in the Gold Series she won the Oct. 6 Gold Final at Kawartha Downs and finished second in the Elimination the week before.
In the Final Grassroots showdown Hiawatha fans were treated to the kind of excitement the Ontario Sires Stakes program has delivered all summer as the top three pacing colts finished within three-quarters of a length of each other.
When the dust settled it was Don McElroy and Savor The Memory who claimed the 1:55.1 victory to give McElroy the driving hat trick.
“I didn’t really think I could win three,” he said in the winner’s circle. “But I knew the horses I had were competitive and I was just hoping for a good night.”
The winning duo benefited from a full scale battle between fan favourite Warrawee Comet and second choice Mickies Rocket. As those colts took the field through fractions of :26.4, :56.1 and 1:23.4 McElroy sat in the middle of the pack, biding his time and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Turning for home Savor The Memory was still three lengths off the lead, but McElroy was asking for another gear and the Camluck son responded with a finishing kick that carried him to the quarter length victory over Spidee Mcfly. Mickies Rocket hung on for third, while Warrawee Comet faded to fifth.
“I tried to be second over but when they started to go, pacing really fast to the half, my horse got a little fumbly there for a few steps and I kind of got backed off,” McElroy said. “But they way they were going into it I knew they were going to come back and it was just a matter of time before my horse clicked in.”
McElroy drove Savor The Memory to the win for trainer Bob McIntosh of Windsor and his partners Mottram Stable of Mississauga and CSX Stables of Liberty Center, OH. The win was the gelding’s fourth this season and pushed him over the $100,000 mark in lifetime earnings.
The Grassroots Championships wrapped up Hiawatha Horse Park’s 2001 Ontario Sires Stakes season. The program will return to Sarnia next spring when a new crop of talented trotters and pacers will arrive at the five-eighths mile oval eager to strut their stuff on the provincial stage.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT SANDRA SNYDER AT 519-656-2017 (TEL./FAX) OR smsnyder@sentex.net.