SARNIA, ON — Hiawatha Horse Park will wrap up its Ontario Sires Stakes season on Thursday evening with a slate of five $24,000 Grassroots divisions for the two-year-old pacing colts.

Making his second start in the provincial program is local colt L H Lil Count, who gets Post 2 in the sixth race.

“He got the two-hole and he drew in with a good class,” says Glenda Dunn, who shares ownership on the Astreos son with her husband John Dunn.

The Sarnia couple acquired L H Lil Count from the 2008 Forest City Yearling Sale, offering up $6,000 for the lanky youngster. Glenda Dunn serves as the colt’s caretaker and says that, other than one idiosyncrasy, L H Lil Count has always been a pleasure to work with.

“He was extremely easy to break, although he had a lot of trouble, he didn’t like you touching his legs and feet,” recalls Dunn. “We found out he was well balanced; the blacksmith had his front leg lifted and he tried to kick him with his back leg.”

Dunn says once the colt got accustomed to having his feet and legs handled he developed into an easy going, playful youngster dubbed Inch due to his size.

“His barn name is Inch, because he’s approximately 16.3, 16.4 hands,” she explains. “He has huge feet, he wears a size four or five shoe.

“He still a stud, but he’s got a great personality,” she adds. “If you pat his head, he puts it right down on your chest.”

Sarnia resident Peter Core handles training and driving duties on L H Lil Count, and sent the colt out for his first look at the Hiawatha Horse Park oval in a June 20 qualifier. L H Lil Count delivered a 2:04.4 effort in his first outing and came back on July 2 with a 2:01.3 mile in a second qualifier.

The long-legged pacer made his pari-mutuel debut at Hiawatha on July 11 and finished a solid fourth in a 1:58 mile. Core piloted the colt to a runner-up finish at Hiawatha on July 25 and then shipped into Flamboro Downs for an overnight event on July 31. Starting from the trailing Post 9, L H Lil Count was the victim of interference and made a break, but recovered well and was able to pace home into sixth spot.

Two more overnights at Hiawatha followed, both resulting in a third-place cheque, and then L H Lil Count made his first Grassroots appearance in the Sept. 7 event at Grand River Raceway, finishing seventh behind a colt that went on to capture a Gold Elimination two weeks later.

“Track, I don’t think matters to him,” says Dunn. “He’s well mannered and good gaited. As soon as you put the bridle on him, it’s like a blanket goes over him. It changes the demeanour on him all together. He’s playful until you put the harness on him, it’s like work gear.”

Core and L H Lil Count will face a field of eight Grassroots regulars in the third division on Thursday, including former winners Mister Russ and Lil Bit Lil Bit, who will start from Posts 3 and 4 respectively.

Hiawatha Horse Park’s first race will be called to the post at 7 pm on Thursday, with the two-year-old pacing colts squaring off for Grassroots battle in Races 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9.

For complete entries please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/entries/data/e0924sarfn.dat.