INNISFIL, ON — Our Pleasure scored her third Grassroots win on Saturday night at Georgian Downs to jump to the top of the three-year-old trotting filly point standings and establish herself as a favourite for the Oct. 27 Grassroots Semifinal.
Owned and trained by John Bosworth of Newmarket, Our Pleasure tucked in behind favourite Equine Grace through fractions of :28.3, 1:00.3 and 1:31 before edging out in the stretch to stick a head in front and collect the lion’s share of the $23,376 purse.
John Holmes drove the Super Pleasure daughter to the win, her eighth in a 26-race season that also boasts five seconds and three third-place finishes for earnings of $66,195.
Second-place finisher Equine Grace added 25 points to her total to finish the regular season in eighth place in the standings. Luke Francesca rounded out the top three, finishing three and one-quarter lengths behind the leaders.
Chelemark Misty logged the fastest mile of the four Grassroots divisions, stopping the clock at 1:59.3 in the sixth race. The Balanced Image daughter and driver Murray Brethour eased off the gate in sixth spot, but were powering to the lead by the halfway marker and never needed to glance back once they took control, coasting home three and a quarter lengths ahead of favourite Gramolas Image. Sing Out Hanover was another two lengths back in third.
Trained by Brad Maxwell for Douglas Millard, Charles Eden and Mark Millard of Woodstock, Chelemark Misty secured a berth in the post season with the win, her third in 10 starts this season.
Aspasia scored her second straight Grassroots victory in the eighth race, leading the field from gate-to-wire en route to the 2:01.3 win. Charalambos Christoforou of Freelton bred, owns and trains the Earl daughter, who posted wins in three of four Grassroots starts for a total of 150 points and a share of fifth spot in the standings.
Ion Rouge finished a length and a half back in second and Brylin Starlet picked up third-place honours.
The other division went to Stormont Caress, who surprised Georgian Downs fans with an impressive finishing kick that took her from fifth at the three-quarter pole, four lengths behind leader Everyonceinawhile, to first at the wire, four and a half lengths ahead of Everyonceinawhile and Ava Hall. It was the Balanced Image daughter’s first visit to the winner’s circle and was not quite enough to extend the filly’s provincial campaign.
Kevin Benn trains Stormont Caress for owner-breeders Stormont Meadows of Long Sault and Stephen Byron engineered the victory on Saturday night.
The top 16 point earners now head for Windsor Raceway on Oct. 27 to compete in a pair of $30,000 Grassroots Semifinals. The top four finishers from each Semifinal will then compete in the $100,000 three-year-old trotting filly Grassroots Championship at Windsor on Nov. 3.
Georgian Downs has one regular season Grassroots event remaining — the two-year-old pacing colts next Friday (Oct. 19) — before it hosts the top two-year old trotters and pacers in Semifinal and Championship action Nov. 2 and 9.