ELORA, ON — In the second instalment of Grand River Raceway’s month long series of Ontario Sires Stakes events, the Elora oval will host the provincial debut of 30 freshman trotting colts on Monday, July 16.

Rockwood resident Chris Beaver will start two colts in the Gold Series season opener, sending Rodeo Red after a top two finish from Post 6 in the first $28,449 elimination and Hot And Coldplay from Post 6 in the second split.

“They are both pretty handy and they seem honest,” says Beaver, who trained Beer Budget to a Gold Elimination victory at Grand River last season in the early stages of a freshman campaign that culminated with the division title. “But nobody knows for sure what they’ve got yet.”

A full-brother to Gold Elimination and Final winner Smarty Jims, Rodeo Red will make his racing debut in the first race on Monday night. The chestnut son of Striking Sahbra and Candied Ginger has two qualifiers under his belt, and Beaver says that so far the young trotter bears little resemblance to his successful sibling.

“He’s not quite as focused as Jim was, Jim always showed a lot of speed off the bat. I think he’s got speed, but he’s not really into racing yet. His mind seems a little less mature,” says Beaver of Rodeo Red. “This horse is a little longer and stouter, and he’s a completely different colour. He’s red, Smarty Jims is black; so its hard to draw too many comparisons between them.”

Beaver trains Rodeo Red for breeder Lynne Foley of Salvisa, KY, Mimi Lenenberg of Pittsburgh, PA and Clare Semer of South Palm Beach, FL, and none of them are expecting the kind of early season success from the colt that Smarty Jims delivered last year.

However, while his expectations for Rodeo Red are moderate, Beaver has set the bar a bit higher for Hot And Coldplay. A $19,000 US yearling at the 2006 Lexington Select Sale, Hot And Coldplay was flawless through the winter and his training partner Lancer Springs won a Pennsylvania Sires Stakes at The Meadows on June 30.

“I almost always trained him with a Lindy Lane colt, and that horse won a Pennsylvania Sires Stake in 2:00.2, so I hope this horse acts the same way,” explains Beaver. “He’s been one of the easiest horses to train that I’ve had for a while.”

Hot And Coldplay heads into Monday’s test off a June 30 qualifier at Mohawk Racetrack and a July 8 start at Georgian Downs. The son of Angus Hall and Stonebridge Lane finished third in both outings, but Beaver is expecting him to be even better on Monday due to a minor equipment change.

“The last time I raced him I had him in a blind bridle and he was locked on the left line trying to look around the bridle. I couldn’t hardly drive him,” explains the horseman. “So I trained him in an open bridle with cheek rolls this week.”

Beaver shares ownership on Hot And Coldplay with driver Luc Ouellette of Campbellville, Paul Bernard of Saint-Hyacinthe, QC and James McLaughlin of Lexington, KY. The partners were attracted to the colt for his pedigree, his mother is a half-sister to $3 million winner Peaceful Way, and his conformation and movement.

“He travelled good in the field and he was correct,” recalls Beaver. “He’s pretty small, but that doesn’t seem to be a detriment for Angus Hall’s.”

Hot And Coldplay’s stature may be an advantage over Grand River Raceway’s half-mile oval on Monday, where a top two finish will be necessary to advance to the July 23 Gold Final.

Post time at Grand River Raceway on Monday evening is 7:30 pm, and the two-year-old trotting colts will put their pedigree and skill on the line in Races 1, 4, 6, and 8.

For complete entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/egrvrmo.html