DRESDEN, ON — Dresden Raceway will celebrate Victoria Day in style Monday, welcoming the three-year-old trotting fillies for their first Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots event of the season.

Many of the top fillies from last season are already geared up for another run at the provincial stakes circuit, including Bernies D Nile, a two-time Grassroots winner at two, who made her sophomore debut during Dresden’s opening day program last Sunday.

“She raced pretty good at Dresden last weekend,” says trainer Bob McIntosh. “He (Don McElroy) couldn’t really let her extend herself because she was a little shaky, so we’ve made some shoeing changes for this week.”

Bernies D Nile finished third in the May 15 overnight at Dresden, trotting around the half mile oval in a constrained 2:07.1 for driver Don McElroy. One week earlier she logged a 2:02 mile in qualifying action at Mohawk Racetrack, so McIntosh hopes the shoeing change will result in a sharper mile on Monday.

“She has enough speed to go with them, I know that,” says the LaSalle resident. “It’s just a matter of getting her on her game, getting her set up right.

“She can go around the turns really good, she’s good on a half, it’s the straight-aways she’s been having problems with lately so we’re trying to get that figured out.”

McIntosh shares ownership on Bernies D Nile with fellow breeder CSX Stables of Liberty Center, OH and Dave Boyle of Bowmanville, and the veteran trainer says the filly matured significantly during her seven month sabbatical.

“She showed flashes of ability last year but she was a little hot. She raced a lot of races on the front end,” he notes. “She has calmed down this year, so I think she’ll be able to race in a hole no problem.”

Also working in the Berndt Hanover daughter’s favour on Monday is her advantageous post position. She and McElroy will start from Post 1 in Race 13, the last of three $16,378 Grassroots contests on the matinee program.

Among the fillies Bernies D Nile will meet in her sophomore stakes debut are freshman Grassroots winner Eager Lois from Post 2 and freshman Gold Series winner Elena, who will line up at Post 3.

Competing for a total of $98,488, the three-year-old trotting fillies are featured in Races 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13 in Dresden Raceway’s holiday Monday program, which gets under way at 1 pm.