SARNIA, ON — He had to circle out three-wide to do it, but three-year-old trotting colt Keystone Empire clocked the fastest of eight Grassroots divisions at Hiawatha Horse Park on Saturday night.

Sitting third on the rail, Keystone Empire watched pacesetter Ja El Blue Bayou post fractions of :27.4 and :56.4 before trainer Per Henriksen sent him after the lead heading by the 1:26.2 three-quarters. Circling three-wide around leader Ja El Blue Bayou and challenger Frosty The Genius, Keystone Empire grabbed control and was one length ahead of his peers when he hit the top of the stretch.

Sailing home three lengths ahead of Big Changes and seven up on Ja El Blue Bayou, Keystone Empire halted the Hiawatha timer at 1:56.3 matching the personal best he recorded in an overnight event at Kawartha Downs on July 24.

Henriksen trains the son of Angus Hall for Herbert Sopenoff and Three Amigos of Long Beach, NY and his ASA Farm of Norwood. Through 14 starts this season Keystone Empire has posted four wins, one second and three thirds for earnings of $31,860.

A seven-time winner of the Lampman Cup award as the top driver in the Ontario Sires Stakes program, Ross Battin added two more OSS wins to his resume on Saturday.

In Race 4 the veteran reinsman piloted Good Knight to a nose decision over Ready AS with a come from behind effort, stopping the clock in 1:58.4. Archies Dream was only half a length behind the battling leaders in third.

John Bax trains Good Knight for breeder Al Libfeld of Pickering, Marvin Katz of Toronto and Robert Kauffman of Wellington, FL. The regally bred son of Balanced Image and Armbro Monarch started his sophomore season in the Gold Series and was making just his second appearance in the winner’s circle through 11 starts.

Battin was back in front of the Hiawatha fans after Race 8 with David Furness trainee Rosslyn Hall, who also had to deliver a come from behind effort after starting from an outside post. The Angus Hall son hit the wire in 1:58.2, one and three-quarter lengths ahead of Think Gold and Heres Bernie.

Owned by Cambrook Stables of Campbellville, Rosslyn Hall jumped to the top of the three-year-old trotting colt point standings with the win. Added to the win he posted in the June 19 Grassroots season opener at Western Fair Raceway, and the second he earned at Hanover Raceway on July 11, Rosslyn Hall boasts 125 points at the halfway mark in the season.

The other Grassroots divisions went to Kens On Lavec in 1:57.1, Chuckie Lang in 1:56.4, Keystone Saint in 1:58, Theshowisfree in 1:58.4 and Catch My Korvette in 1:59.4.

The three-year-old trotting colts begin the second half of their Grassroots season at Grand River Raceway on Aug. 31, while Hiawatha Horse Park hosts its second Ontario Sires Stakes event on Thursday, Aug. 30, welcoming the three-year-old trotting fillies for a Trillium Series contest.

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rsarfsa.html