SUDBURY, ON — Oaklea Rico got a classic pocket trip in the first $24,000 Grassroots division at Sudbury Downs on Wednesday evening to score a convincing victory for the home team.

Starting from Post 2 with Sudbury resident Wayne MacLean in the race bike, Oaklea Rico settled in behind pacesetter Rambos Buddy as that colt rang up fractions of :28.4, :59 and 1:29.1. When Rambos Buddy made a break trotting into the final turn, Oaklea Rico inherited the lead and proceeded to draw away from the field to a three length victory in a personal best 1:59.1.

Behind Oaklea Rico, Stanley Normand and Kilted Pride battled up the outside into a deadheat for second.

Jocelyne Menard of Chelmsford owns Oaklea Rico, who made a leap up the Grassroots standings with Wednesday’s victory. Second in his sophomore Grassroots debut at Rideau Carleton Raceway on July 12, the Striking Sahbra son now boasts a total of 75 points toward a berth in the Grassroots Semifinal. With three events remaining in the regular season, the current cut off for the top 16 is 50 points.

Through 17 starts this season Oaklea Rico has now amassed a record of three wins, five seconds and one third for earnings of $28,992.

In the second division Agusto scored his fourth straight victory and his second Grassroots trophy with a 1:59.2 effort that saw him lead the field of three-year-old trotting colts from start to finish. Mor Speed and Fast As You battled their way into second and third, five lengths behind Agusto.

Regular reinsman Stephen Byron engineered the Angus Hall son’s sixth victory of the season for trainer John Bax and owners Bob Anderson of St. Thomas, and Gwendolyn and Ronald Bowman of Nobel. Prior to Wednesday night’s effort, Agusto was victorious in the $100,000 Dream Of Glory Final at Hanover Raceway on Aug. 1.

Agusto currently shares top spot in the division standings with Bacio Hanover, who was also victorious at Sudbury Downs on Wednesday. With trainer Per Henriksen in the race bike the Kadabra son fired out of Post 6 to the lead and powered around the half-mile oval to a 1:59.3 victory. Pembrook Street closed hard to be second, one length behind the winner, while PC Troubadour was five more lengths to the rear in third.

Henriksen trains Bacio Hanover for ASA Farm of Norwood, and Three Amigos and Herbert Sopenoff of Long Beach, NY. Through 13 starts the gelding now has six wins, two seconds and one third to his credit.

The other Grassroots division went to Ross Battin and Future Bernie, who stopped the Sudbury teletimer at 2:02.2, four lengths up on Toledo Seelster and Mapleson. Windsor resident Bob McIntosh trains Future Bernie for his partners C S X Stables of Liberty Center, OH. The partners also bred the son of Berndt Hanover and Rosy Future, who was making his first ever appearance in the winner’s circle.

The three-year-old trotting colts do not resume their Grassroots rivalry until Sept. 6 at Clinton Raceway, but Sudbury Downs fans only have to wait until this Saturday, Aug. 15 for their next dose of Ontario Sires Stakes action.

The two-year-old pacing colts bring their high speed display to the northern oval at 7:15 pm on Saturday, competing in Races 3, 5, and 7.

For complete results please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/racing/results/data/r0812sudbyn.dat.