WOODSTOCK, ON — Ontario’s talented three-year-old pacing fillies will kick off Woodstock Raceway’s 2007 Ontario Sires Stakes schedule this Saturday, Aug. 11 with six Grassroots divisions worth a total of $107,918.

Putnam resident Scott McNiven will harness Amchabec from Post 5 in the tenth race and the veteran conditioner is hoping the mid-gate post will force the filly to make an early investment in the race.

“She’s much like her mother, who was a Run The Table. She’s kind of an easy going mare and it takes a bit to get her excited and involved in a race,” says McNiven, who bred and owns Amchabec in partnership with his wife Kimberley McNiven of Putnam, his brother Bradley McNiven, his mother Verna McNiven and Emberley Farms of Embro. “When she does get involved I think she’s competitive.”

Amchabec, who is named after Bradley’s children Amy, Chad and Becky, heads into Saturday’s contest off a strong effort in an Aug. 1 overnight at Dresden Raceway. The daughter of Western Maverick and Bobs Wish pressed the pace from the outside throughout the mile and accelerated down the stretch to a half length victory in 1:58.4.

The Aug. 1 win was Amchabec’s first in a season that has also seen her garner two seconds and three thirds in 11 starts. In the first three Grassroots events of the season the third generation product of the Twin B Stables breeding program has scored two thirds and one fifth for a total of 29 points, and McNiven would love to see her add to that on Saturday.

“She needs a win, that’s for sure,” says McNiven. “I don’t think she’s in too snug. Ben Wallace’s filly (Spun Sugar) is outside of us. I think there are tougher divisions.”

The top 16 point earners after the six regular season Grassroots events earn a berth in the Oct. 18 Semifinal round and Amchabec is currently 21 points shy of the cut off. Spun Sugar, who has a pair of wins and one second to her credit through the first three Grassroots events, will start from Post 7 and Whitesand Scarlet, who has two wins and a third, will start from Post 6.

A total of 44 fillies will go postward at Woodstock on Saturday, including a handful that have spent most of the season competing at the Gold Series level. A Gold Final winner at two, Canadette makes her first Grassroots start from Post 1 in the second race; last season’s Grassroots Final winner Magic Maverick tried the Gold Series in June and returns to her roots from Post 4 in Race 4; and former Gold Series regular Quail Seelster makes her second Grassroots appearance from Post 6 in the fourth race.

The three-year-old pacing fillies are featured in Races 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 on Woodstock Raceway’s Saturday afternoon program, with the first race rolling up behind the starting gate at 1 pm.

For complete entries please go to:

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