INNISFIL, ON — Doug McNair gave Shore Light a perfect pocket trip in Grassroots action at Georgian Downs on Tuesday evening and the locally-owned pacing colt parlayed it into a trip to the winner’s circle.
McNair fired Shore Light away from Post 7 and dropped onto the rail behind pacesetter Fenian Hanover well before that colt reached the :27.2 opening quarter. Through a :57.4 half and a 1:26 three-quarters Shore Light sat tucked in behind Fenian Hanover, but once the colts reached the stretch Shore Light took aim on the wire. A sharp finishing kick propelled the Armbro Deuce freshman to a quarter length victory over Fenian Hanover in an impressive 1:54.3, the quickest of the evening’s nine Grassroots divisions.
Espen De Vie finished well back in third, while fan favourite Jettison made a late break that saw him knocked back to ninth from sixth due to interference.
Todd and James Cantelon of Thornton share ownership of Shore Light, and Todd Cantelon handles training duties on the young pacer, who was a $10,000 acquisition from the Canadian Open Yearling Sale last fall. The colt started his provincial career in the Gold Series season opener at Mohawk Racetrack on June 27, but a seventh place finish in the elimination round led the Cantelon’s to test the Grassroots waters on Tuesday. Through four starts Short Light now has one win, one fourth and one fifth for earnings of $14,360.
McNair also piloted Aviator Seelster to a Grassroots victory in Tuesday’s twelfth race. The pair led the field of eight through most of the race, reaching the wire half a length ahead of pocket sitter Deuce Man in 1:57.2. Urban Art was six more lengths back in third.
The young reinsman’s father Gregg McNair of Guelph conditions Aviator Seelster for his partners Leonard Gamble of Etobicoke and William Brown of Hanover. The partners purchased the son of Modern Art and $196,459 winner Alias Seelster for $20,000 from the Forest City Yearling Sale last fall.
Aviator Seelster made his debut in the Grassroots season opener at Woodstock Raceway on July 1, but an early break left him at the back of the pack in seventh.
Driver Jean Rene Plante, trainer Kenneth Switzer and owners Brenda Selwyn Waxman and Isaac Waxman of Dundas combined to win two Grassroots trophies on Tuesday. Their first victory came in the fourth race with Machal Jordan, who sailed along on the front end to a 1:55.3 triumph, two and one-half lengths ahead of Big Unit and Windsong Ike.
Tuesday’s victory was also redemptive for Machal Jordan, who made a mid-race break in his Grassroots division at Woodstock. The Mach Three son, a half-brother to $527,249 winner Secluded Island, was purchased out of last fall’s Canadian Open Yearling Sale for $40,000.
Plante, Switzer and the Waxman’s scored a natural double when Machal Angelo fought off a charging Hard To Mach to score a neck victory in 1:54.4 in Race 5. Late Nite Flight picked up the third-place finisher’s share of the $24,000 Grassroots purse in spite of a miscue at the three-quarter mile marker.
Another son of Mach Three, Machal Angelo started his Ontario Sires Stakes campaign at the Gold Series level, finishing fifth in his June 27 Gold Elimination and eighth in the July 4 Gold Final. The colt is a half-brother to $431,718 winner Island Zeeker.
True To Mach was the only colt to pick up a second Grassroots trophy on Tuesday. The Mach Three son and driver Phil Hudon rocketed from sixth to first in the stretch, grabbing a three-quarter length victory away from pacesetter My Lucky Killean. Terem Up Louie finished third in the 1:56 mile.
Jim Ainsworth conditions True To Mach for his father Larry Ainsworth of Petrolia and breeder William Boden of Vancouver, BC. The talented youngster is two-for-two this season with earnings of $24,000.
The other Grassroots divisions went to Winbak Warrior in 1:56.1; Piston Broke in 1:56.4; Rocky Regal in 1:57.2; and R Gauwitz Hanover in 1:57.2. The two-year-old pacing colts make their third Grassroots start at Rideau Carleton Raceway on August 14.
Tuesday night featured another Win The Thrill contest draw at Georgian Downs with Don Phair of Wasaga Beach, Berta Avery of Everett, Ida Worsnop of Barrie, Joey May of Barrie, Olive Richard of Alliston, Eva May of Angus, Dan Canapini of Sudbury, and Anne Upton of Wasaga Beach joining the finalists from Saturday’s Gold Rush program. Saturday’s finalists included Lynne Smith, Michael Cochrane, Steve Dewson, Robert Cumming, Ron Bowan, Joan Wishart, Jane Phair, Bonnie Townsend and Judy Iocco.
All of the finalists have an opportunity to enter the Grand Prize draw at Mohawk Racetrack on Oct. 1 and take their shot at winning one share in the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association’s New Owner Mentoring Group. Georgian Downs fans have six more opportunities to qualify for the Win The Thrill Grand Prize draw — July 30, August 9 and 13, and September 6, 13 and 17.
For complete results please go to: Georgian Downs Results — July 12, 2011