SARNIA, OCT. 25, 2001 — In spite of the raw weather which swept across Ontario on Thursday evening the province’s top three-year-old trotters and pacers delivered eight impressive performances in their Grassroots Semifinals at Sarnia’s Hiawatha Horse Park.

Fans were treated to the full spectre of excitement the Ontario Sires Stakes competitors have delivered all season — thrilling finishes, major upsets and fast miles over a track rated two seconds slower than normal in the -1 degree Celsius temperatures.

Pacing colt Warrawee Comet recorded the fastest mile of the evening in the last of the eight Semifinals. The Dexter Nukes colt and driver Jody Jamieson stopped the Hiawatha clock at 1:55.4 off a come-from-behind effort that saw them move from seventh to first through the last half of the mile.

Daryl Roberts trains Warrawee Comet for his partners David Baliunas of Dorchester, John Kwiatkoski of London and Rick Zeron Stables of Oakville and the London resident was not surprised by his colt’s performance over the Sarnia oval.

“He’s quite comfortable at Sarnia. He was prepped here two weeks ago and he raced good all summer here, finishing second to Quality Cam in the Elimination and fourth in the Final of the Clearwater Cup,” said Roberts. “If he races well again next week we might be right here again (in winner’s circle).”

Rocket Physics finsihed second, Peace Of History closed hard for third and race favourite Spare Time Warrior also qualified for the Final with his fourth-place performance.

The other pacing colt Semifinal went to Bob McIntosh trainee Savor The Memory in 1:56.2. Favourites Mickies Rocket and Jamieson were one length back in second, Sir Orion picked up the third-place share of the $20,000 purse and Spidee McFly rounded out the top four.

Don McElroy piloted Savor The Memory to the win, one of three he scored in Semifinal action. The veteran reinsman opened the Grassroots program with a 2:01.1 win behind trotting filly Sweet Dreams Baby and was back in the winner’s circle one race later with trotting colt Hetties Valley, who stopped the teletimer at 2:00.4 ahead of Orillia Bam Bam, At A Boy Adam and Meadowview Paul.

The other trotting colt Semifinal went to Twin B Sporty and Jim McClure in a come-from-behind 2:01.4. Zorgwijk Bedeviled, Claytons Sunny Boy and Davey My Boy occupied the top four spots in the sixth race.

Longshot My Final Answer finished second behind Sweet Dreams Baby, with favourite Alyssa Seelster and Shortpaid also advancing to next Thursday’s main event. Division leader Balladeer finished sixth, failing to advance beyond the Semifinal round.

Local favourite Lady Byng captured the second trotting filly Semifinal with an impressive wire-to-wire 2:00.3 clocking, the fastest trotting division of the night. Peter Core trains the Earl daughter for Dale Hunter of Petrolia and Richard Hunter of Oil Springs and was in the race bike for the win in spite of two broken fingers.

“Either she’s good or she’s bad, and she was good warming up and good all week, so I thought I had a shot at winning it and I drove her aggressively,” said Core after the race. “She raced real well. We’ve been working with her to get her steadied out and she’s solid now, just as good as she was at Hanover (Aug. 25).”

Armbro Vail and Promising Spark trailed in more than three lengths behind Core and Lady Byng, with favourite C S Brisco Babe hitting the wire in fourth, 11 lengths back.

Pacing filly Private Session delivered the commanding performance onlookers expected in the seventh race, hitting the wire six lengths ahead of Estherdays News in 1:57.2. Rick Fife trains the talented Dexter Nukes lass for Kevin Isaac of Bridgenorth and she was driven to her 11th win by “Mr. OSS” Dave Wall. One To Envy and Babe Hall also advanced to Round 2.

The other division saw Jody Jamieson rein My Kinda Cam to a wire-to-wire 1:57.4 win, setting up the driving double for the young reinsman who is battling for the Lampman Cup driving title with Don McElroy.

It was My Kinda Cam’s first start for trainer Mark Harder and owner Robert Murphy of White Rock, BC, who acquired the Camluck daughter from Bob McIntosh in early September. The filly was making her first start since Sept. 1 after battling the equine virus.

“She was coming off a qualifier so they just wanted to get her in the Final,” said Jamieson. “I think if you look at her lines she looks better from off the pace. She’s an aggressive horse, but I think things will work out in the Final.”

My Kinda Cam’s former stablemate Hurtin N Flirtin, owned by Robert McIntosh Stables Inc. of Windsor, Paul Ysebaert of Mooretown, Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. of Leamington and CSX Stables of Liberty Center, OH, finished second. Dawnmarie Seelster made it a Camluck sweep of the top three and Karen Sanchuk picked up the fourth-place share of the pie.

The top four finishers from each Semifinal will converge on Hiawatha Horse Park for the $400,000 Grassroots Championship Night next Thursday and if Mother Nature serves up warmer weather the three-year-old trotters and pacers could deliver more than one record breaking performance.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT SANDRA SNYDER AT 519-656-2017 (TEL./FAX) OR smsnyder@sentex.net.

RESULTS (Including Head No., Horse, (Sire), Driver/Trainer, Pay Outs, Race Fractions):

RACE 3 $20,000

3 – Sweet Dreams Baby (Super Pleasure) D. McElroy/R. Bourassa $4.80 $2.20 $2.10
8 – My Final Answer (King Conch) T. Durand/T. Durand $26.90 $3.80
1 – Alyssa Seelster (Balanced Image) W. Gale/J. Kopas $2.40

Exactor 3 – 8: $128.10
Triactor 3 – 8 – 1: $392.30

Race Fractions: :27.3, :59.1, 1:28.4 and 2:01.1

RACE 4 $20,000

6 – Hetties Valley (Valleymeister) D. McElroy/B. Thorne $9.60 $3.90 $2.10
3 – Orillia Bam Bam (Balanced Image) W. O’Donnell/W. O’Donnell $5.00 $2.30
2 – At A Boy Adam (Earl) R. Battin/W. Wellwood $2.10

Exactor 6 – 3: $39.40
Triactor 6 – 3 – 2: $112.20

Race Fractions: :28.3, 1:00.2, 1:29.3 and 2:00.4

RACE 5 $20,000

2 – Lady Byng (Earl) P. Core/P. Core $13.00 $5.80 $3.60
Owned by Dale Hunter, Petrolia and Richard Hunter, Oil Springs.
7 – Armbro Vail (King Conch) T. Kerr/B. Maxwell $3.30 $4.50
4 – Promising Spark (Promising Catch) R. Battin/P. Clements $5.10

Exactor 2 – 7: $59.80
Triactor 2 – 7 – 4: $348.80

Race Fractions: :28, :59.4, 1:28.4 and 2:00.3

RACE 6 $20,000

5 – Twin B Sporty (Earl) J. McClure/P. Farrell $20.10 $11.00 $5.40
4 – Zorgwijk Bedeviled (Valleymeister) R. Battin/M. Keeling $3.20 $3.00
8 – Claytons Sunny Boy (Must B Sunny) T. Henry/R. Henry $7.60

Exactor 5 – 4: $53.30
Triactor 5 – 4 – 8: $511.00

Race Fractions: :28.1, :59.4, 1:29.2 and 2:01.4

RACE 7 $20,000

7 – Private Session (Dexter Nukes) D. Wall/R. Fife $2.80 $2.80 $2.80
2 – Estherdays News (Camluck) J. Hudon/J. Hudon $6.10 $5.10
5 – One To Envy (Albert Albert) D. Avery/A. Avery $4.00

Kesons Sonsation, owned by Larry Ainsworth, Petrolia, Claude Pearson, Tilbury and David Walls, Sarnia, finished fifth.

Exactor 7 – 2: $40.90
Triactor 7 – 2 – 5: $101.60

Race Fractions: :26.2, :56.2, 1:25 and 1:57.2

RACE 8 $20,000

5 – My Kinda Cam (Camluck) J. Jamieson/M. Horner $8.90 $5.80 $2.70
1 – Hurtin N Flirtin (Camluck) D. McElroy/R. McIntosh $2.40 $2.30
Owned by Robert McIntosh Stables Inc., Windsor, Paul Ysebaert, Mooretown, Al McIntosh Holdings Inc., Leamington and CSX Stables, Liberty Center, OH.
2 – Dawnmarie Seelster (Camluck) W. Gale/J. Kopas $5.30

Exactor 5 – 1: $22.00
Triactor 5 – 1 – 2: $104.50

Race Fractions: :27.1, :57.4, 1:26.1 and 1:57.4

RACE 9 $20,000

3 – Savor The Memory (Camluck) D. McElroy/R. McIntosh $11.70 $3.10 $4.00
2 – Mickies Rocket (Pacific Rocket) J. Jamieson/C. Yates $2.20 $2.10
7 – Sir Orion (Pacific Rocket) P. Mackenzie/A. Fair $2.70

His Honor, owned by Norman Walker, Sarnia, Martwest Racing Stable, Mississauga and Steve Calhoun and Michael Lindley, Chatham, finished eighth but was placed seventh after suffering interference at the quarter.

Exactor 3 – 2: $25.40
Triactor 3 – 2 – 7: $107.80

Race Fractions: :27, :57.1, 1:24.4 and 1:56.2

RACE 10 $20,000

6 – Warrawee Comet (Pacific Rocket) J. Jamieson/D. Roberts $12.70 $8.40 $9.00
5 – Rocket Physics (Pacific Rocket) R. McLean, Jr./K. Benn $4.70 $3.40
3 – Peace Of History (Historic) G. Wright/R. Laarman $11.10

Armbro Vagarious, owned by Larry Ainsworth, Petrolia, Ross Holmes, Ilderton, Reg Gassien, Lindsay and William Boden, Vancouver, BC, finished seventh.

Exactor 6 – 5: $63.10
Triactor 6 – 5 – 3: $425.80

Race Fractions: :27, :58.2, 1:25.3 and 1:55.4