CLINTON, ON — For the second week in a row Clinton Raceway features an outstanding Ontario Sires Stakes event this Sunday, with seven divisions of three-year-old pacing colts vying for a total of $105,330 in the Grassroots wild card.
Trainer Dan Morrissey will send two colts into the fray on Sunday, with Daylon Harbour facing off against a pair of big guns from the Gold Series in Race 2.
The Run The Table colt is no stranger to the top level colts, having made his provincial debut in the July Gold Series at Flamboro Downs. After squeaking through the elimination round with a fifth-place finish Daylon Harbour finished a solid fourth in the Gold Final, just two and three-quarter lengths behind winner Armbro Warranty, who he will face for the second time from Post 7 on Sunday.
“We raced him once in the Gold Elimination and Final and then went back to the Grassroots. We’re hoping he can get enough points to get into the (Grassroots) Semifinal,” explains Morrissey. “That’s a tough division, but he’s a handy horse. He likes a half-mile track.”
In his Aug. 6 Grassroots start Daylon Harbour was an easy winner over the Georgian Downs oval. The colt also captured his elimination and the Final of the Central Huron Pacing Series at Clinton Raceway on July 21 and 28. “Mr. OSS” Dave Wall will pilot the winner of $71,015 from Post 2 on Sunday on behalf of Dan and David Morrissey of Ailsa Craig and William Woodburn of Parkhill.
In addition to Armbro Warranty, Wall and Daylon Harbour will line up alongside Corona Grande in the second division. Undefeated in Grassroots action through two seasons Corona Grande made the step up to the Gold level in August at Woodbine Racetrack, capturing his Elimination and finishing fifth in the $130,000 Final. The colt will attempt to maintain his perfect Grassroots record from Post 3.
Wall will also pilot Morrissey’s second starter, Run Tim Run, from Post 2 in the seventh race. The Run The Table son will be looking to improve on the seventh-place result he posted at Georgian Downs, the only Grassroots start he has had since moving into the Morrissey barn at the end of July.
“We just bought him this summer,” says Morrissey. “But he’s quite handy, he gets off the gate pretty good, and an inside post helps on a half-mile track.”
Owned by David Morrissey and William Woodburn, Run Tim Run has 37 Grassroots points from one second and one third-place finish and could move into contention for a berth in the post season with a solid outing on Sunday.
Clinton Raceway sends the first division of Grassroots colts onto the track at 1:30 pm with the other six divisions going postward as Races 2, 5, 7, 10, 11 and 12.