DRESDEN, ON — On Monday afternoon at Dresden Raceway two-year-old trotting colt Su Lavec will be looking for his third top three Grassroots finish, an impressive accomplishment for any young trotter let alone one who was born with hind legs better suited to a marsupial than a racehorse.
“We didn’t think we were going to keep him. He was so crooked behind he walked on his hocks. I thought he looked like a kangaroo,” says owner and trainer Normand Dessureault. “He had a cast on for six weeks and he came out of it pretty decent. I’m not saying he has beautiful hocks, but he doesn’t know that he looks ugly.”
Su Lavec’s unattractive posterior has propelled him to one second and one third in the first two Grassroots events of the season and he will make a bid for a third pay cheque from Post 3 in the fifth of six divisions on Monday.
“We’re going down. He had seven last time,” says Dessureault, who shares ownership on Su Lavec with breeder Daniel Durfy of Ypsilanti, MI.
Su Lavec overcame Post 7 at Woodstock Raceway on July 23 by sprinting into third off the starting gate and then sitting on the outside for much of the mile. The Mr Lavec son, the first foal of Dessureault and Durfy’s $286,606 winner Bostonian Sue, also sat off the pace in the July 14 Grassroots season opener at Hiawatha Horse Park.
“One thing I like about him, he doesn’t want to make breaks,” notes the McGregor resident. “So far he’s been solid as a rock, and that’s a big plus when you go with these babies in the Sires Stakes.”
Dresden Raceway fans may have caught Su Lavec in action in his July 10 qualifier, but Monday will likely be the last time he appears on the half-mile oval this season. Because of the youngster’s early physical challenges Dessureault and Durfy have opted for a light racing schedule this season, concentrating on the Grassroots program.
“Because he was a late foal and he was a little crooked when he was born, if he had five or six starts I would be happy,” says the trainer-driver. “Then he will go down to Florida with me for the winter, and hopefully next year he comes on strong. He has a lot of natural talent.”
With his second and third-place finishes in the first two Grassroots events Su Lavec has already accumulated 37 points and currently sits in a three way tie for twelfth spot in the two-year-old trotting colt standings. The top 16 point earners through the six race regular season earn a berth in the Grassroots Semifinal at Georgian Downs on Oct. 8.
Among the other colts in Race 11 hoping to pad their point tally are Woodstock winner Armbro Delta, who will start from Post 4, and former Gold Series competitor Sovereign Way, who gets Post 6.
Dresden Raceway’s holiday Monday program begins at 1 pm with attention focused on the two-year-old trotting colts in Races 2, 4, 6, 8, 11 and 14.
For a complete list of Grassroots entries please go to:
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/edresmo.html