HANOVER, ON — Freshman trotting colt Reception Hall stepped off the fastest mile of six Grassroots divisions at Hanover Raceway on Wednesday, stopping the clock at 2:05 on the cool August evening.
With Stephen Byron in the race bike, the Angus Hall son powered off the starting gate from Post 4 and had established a three length margin by the time he reached the quarter mile pole. Cruising through fractions of :31.1, 1:03.3 and 1:35 Reception Hall faced very little opposition and hit the wire three and a half lengths up on Wheres Berndt and five and a half ahead of favourite Adam T.
Breeder Wally Yantz of Bloomingdale and the Henry Stable of Arthur own Reception Hall, who was making his first appearance in the winner’s circle after suffering from breaks in stride during his other two starts.
It was a tough night on favourites as only division leader Elaborateobsession came through with the goods, eking out a nose victory in the final Grassroots division. The 2:05.4 win, his second from Post 7, kept the Elaborate Dream colt’s win streak alive and boosted his Grassroots point total to 150 for trainer and breeder Jim Whelan of Troy and Clarence Devos of Langton. Whelan’s son Garrett drove the young trotter to the victory.
El Leonard and BJs King rounded out the top three in the $15,379 event. Ivan Jamieson and King Brent opened the evening’s festivities with a five length 2:07.4 score in Race 2, taking full advantage of an error by favourite Extreme Image who settled for second while Cuigottago delivered a steady effort to land in third.
Wentworth, NS resident Jamieson shares ownership on Wesgate Crown son King Brent with Alan Fair of Ancaster. The win was the colt’s first in three efforts.
Veteran reinsman Tony Kerwood gave Southern Comfort K a classic pocket trip to earn a 2:05.4 victory in Race 4. The Woodbine Entertainment Group regular tucked the colt in behind Bouncyballad and then sprinted by the pacesetter through the stretch to score the three length triumph. Bouncyballad picked up the second-place share while third-place finisher J M Wally and the remainder of the field trailed home well behind the leaders.
Robert Key of Leechburg, PA bred and owns Southern Comfort K, who also has one second and one fifth-place finish to his credit after three starts, and Brad Maxwell trains the Super Pleasure colt.
The other Grassroots divisions went to King Of Peers in 2:12 and Northern Patriot in 2:08.
The two-year-old trotting colts wrapped up Hanover Raceway’s 2004 Ontario Sires Stakes program, which also featured outstanding action from the two-year-old pacing fillies and three-year-old pacing fillies and trotting colts. The provincial program will be back at the popular Hanover oval in 2005 with a fresh crop of two and three-year-olds anxious to make their presence felt on the Grassroots stage.