GLOUCESTER, ON — Must Be Matt scored the fastest win of five Grassroots divisions over a soggy Rideau Carleton Raceway oval on Thursday evening.
With regular reinsman Allan Cullen in the race bike, the three-year-old pacing colt fired to the front from Post 1 and never faced a challenge, cruising home one and a quarter lengths ahead of Caviarandsoftmusic and Canuck Luck in 1:55.4.
Ross Siddall trains Must Be Matt for owner-breeders Joseph and Beverley Santarossa of Maidstone. Thursday’s win was the colt’s second in Grassroots action and bumped him into a three-way tie for the last spot in the Oct. 7 Grassroots Semifinals at Georgian Downs.
Casimir Easy Rider catapulted up the Grassroots standings with a 1:57.2 win in the eleventh race. The Falcons Future son and driver Patrick Hudon opted for a come from behind strategy from Post 7 and sprinted down the stretch to claim the one and a quarter length victory over Kountry Kid and favourite Northern Edge.
Markdale resident Randy Boyce trains Casimir Easy Rider for his partner Gregory Boyce of Flesherton. Thursday’s win was the black gelding’s second in Grassroots action and moved him from twenty-seventh to thirteenth in the standings.
Most Happy One posted his fourth Grassroots win in the first division on Thursday to finish the regular season in second spot with 200 points. The Grinfromeartoear son ran down pacesetter Vijay Bert in the stretch to score the three length win in 1:58.1. Queenssuccessor picked up the third-place share of the $22,466 provincial purse.
Sylvain Filion piloted Most Happy One to the win for trainer Chris Matthews and owners Jeff Bryan and Desmond Scott of Orangeville.
Fan favourites Kentucky Rebel and Gothic Crusader swept to victory in the other two Grassroots divisions.
Kentucky Rebel bested Tymal Resolute and Twin B Krave by two and a quarter lengths, stopping the clock at 1:57 in the second division. Stephen Byron piloted the Armbro Operative son to the win for his brother David Byron and owners Dan Hall and Leah Findlay of Newmarket.
Trainer-driver Stephen Charlton and Gothic Crusader wrapped up the evening with a 1:56.4 victory over division leader Cruisin To Fame and Twilight Baron for Larocque Racing Stable Inc. of Toronto.
The top 16 point earners now head to Georgian Downs on Friday, Oct. 7 for a pair of Semifinals. The top four finishers from each Semifinal will earn the right to compete in the $100,000 Grassroots Championship one week later.
Thursday’s Grassroots event also wrapped up Rideau Carleton Raceway’s 2005 Ontario Sires Stakes schedule, which saw Ontario’s talented trotters rewrite the record books on three occasions. The provincial program will return to the Gloucester oval in 2006 with a fresh crop of trotters and pacers eager to make their mark in the history books.
For complete results please go to:
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rridcfth.html