SARNIA, OCT. 6, 2002 — Speed was the watch word at Hiawatha Horse Park on Saturday evening as the three-year-old pacing colts competed in five Grassroots divisions.
Daylon Frontier and driver Paul Mackenzie led off the Ontario-bred talent show with a front end victory in 1:53.4, crossing the wire four lengths ahead of Harold My Boy and Morocco.
The Run The Table colt’s victory capped a tremendous weekend for trainer Bill Budd of Carlisle and owner C and I Siegel Racing Stable Ltd. of Brooklyn, NY, whose two-year-old pacing colts Sir Luck and Boulder Creek finished first and second in a $130,000 Gold Final at Mohawk Racetrack on Friday evening.
Division two went to another Run The Table son bred by Dave Lemon of Komoka, and Daylon Harbour used the same front end technique to acquire his second Grassroots victory. The Dan Morrissey trainee stopped the clock at 1:55.1, after turning back challenges from second and third-place finishers DM Billy The Kid and Nats Beach Bunny. Don McElroy drove the gelding to the win for Morrissey and his partners David Morrissey of Ailsa Craig and William Woodburn of Parkhill.
Six races later Mcmac clocked the identical 1:55.1 time to capture his first Grassroots victory for trainer Jack Remmerswaal and owners Edward Weisz of Willowdale, Peter McArthur of Guelph and Howard MacDonald of Kanata. The consistent pacer and driver Ross Battin closed hard from third at the top of the stretch to earn the quarter length win over Spencers Victory and favourite Pacific Pegasus.
The colts in the final two divisions stepped up the pace even more with Macarachi dominating the ninth race from start to finish and hitting the wire in 1:53.1. Cliftons Revenge stuck with the pacesetter and finsihed just one quarter length back while John The Prince was more than two lengths behind in third. Favourite Meadow Angus had to settle for fourth.
Bob Young trains Macarachi for long time Standardbred owner Stan Klemencic of Trenton.
Wilder Echo posted an impressive 1:53.1 victory by six and three-quarter lengths over favourite Judge Cam and division point leader Rudy Cruz. Debra Budahn trains Wilder Echo for The Gusty Stable, Rolling Hills Est., CA and the win moved the Armbro Operative son into a tie for eighth spot in the point standings with Macarachi and Daylon Harbour.
The sophomore pacing colts make one final stop on their popular Grassroots tour on Oct. 18 at London’s Western Fair Raceway, while Hiawatha Horse Park hosts its last Ontario Sires Stakes event on Nov. 9 with Trillium Series divisions for the three-year-old pacing fillies.