INNISFIL, ON — Twelve weeks ago Sovereign Way made his Ontario Sires Stakes debut in Gold Series action at Georgian Downs. The two-year-old trotting colt returns to the Innisfil oval on Saturday night a top ranked competitor in the Grassroots program, looking for his third provincial victory in the last event of the regular season.
“He’s got his share anyway,” says the colt’s owner George Charlton of Utopia. Since his fifth-place finish in the July 5 Gold Elimination, Sovereign Way has posted two wins, one second and one fifth in Grassroots action for a total of 130 points, putting him in a two-way tie for sixth in the Grassroots point standings. Trained and driven by Midhurst resident Keith Jones, the Incredible Abe son will attempt to add to his point total from Post 5 in the fourth race, facing off against two other colts currently ranked in the top 16.
While Charlton will not make the trip to Georgian Downs to watch Sovereign Way do battle on Saturday, the 78-year-old will be keeping tabs on the colt via television and the internet.
“I don’t have transportation any more. My truck had a little accident,” says Charlton ruefully. “But I don’t miss any of them. If I do, I can go right into the computer and get the results.”
The owner of former Ontario Sires Stakes star and $1.3 million winner Abbey Road C, Charlton and Jones went to last fall’s Canadian Classic Yearling Sale looking for another son of Incredible Abe and were delighted to reel Sovereign Way in under their budgeted amount.
“I said, �We’ll go to $20,000,'” recalls the veteran horse owner. “Then Keith said, �Just a minute, we got him for $19,000.’ So we saved $1,000.”
Through seven starts Sovereign Way has delivered a $24,186 return on Charlton’s investment and stands to up that amount significantly if he can string together a few strong performances at Georgian Downs in the next three weeks. The top 16 point earners return to the Innisful oval for a pair of Grassroots Semifinals on Saturday, Oct. 8 and the top four finishers from each Semifinal will be back on Saturday, Oct. 15 for their $100,000 Grassroots Championship.
Saturday’s competition will be fiercest among the colts sitting on the bubble, needing a top performance to extend their season for another week. Midnight Rueben, who will start from Sovereign Way’s right at Post 6 in Race 4, sits four points below the current cut off of 62 and would love to score his first lifetime victory on Saturday for trainer-driver Randy Kerr of Amherstburg and Andrew Benedict of Essex.
Saturday’s battles get under way at 7:35 pm at Georgian Downs, with the two-year-old trotting colts featured in Races 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8.
For a complete list of entries please go to:
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/egeodfsa.html