INNISFIL, ON — If Petals Of A Flower posts a victory in the two-year-old trotting filly Grassroots Championship at Georgian Downs on Saturday night there may not be room for her in the winner’s circle.
When the locally owned filly surprised her peers with a victory in the Semifinal round last weekend she was already surrounded by well-wishers. A second upset in the $100,000 season finale would only serve to multiply the size of the celebration for owners Marvin and Donna Chantler of Loretto and Craig Wallwin of Barrie.
“I leaned on (Wallwin) a little at Harrisburg last year and convinced him we needed to own a horse together,” says Chantler, who is a partner in the new Georgian Downs facility where Wallwin did all of the electrical work. “But he had never seen her race live until last Saturday night.”
Wallwin brought the filly good luck when it counted as she came up with an impressive effort to post her first win of the season, stopping the clock at 2:04.1 over a track rated one second slower than normal. In addition to her new-found good luck charm, Chantler attributes the Mr Lavec daughter’s improved performance to several equipment changes made by trainer Bruce MacDonald in the week leading up to the Semifinal.
“She’s a nice filly and she’s raced good all year, but every once in a while — for no reason that we can ascertain — she’ll make a break. She’ll get herself into position and look like she’s going to get a piece of it and then make a break,” says the personable owner. “She’s good gaited, she doesn’t need trotting hopples, but she likes to kick a little so we tied her tail, lifted her head up a little and put a mini-bit in her.”
Petals Of A Flower and driver John Holmes will attempt their second straight victory from Post 1 in the second race on Saturday night and Chantler expects Memories Of Texas (Post 5), who finished second to Petals Of A Flower last weekend, and the other Semifinal winner, Queen Of Jewels (Post 4), to be their primary competition.
Two races later another locally owned youngster will take aim on the lion’s share of the $100,000 purse inteh trotting colt Final. Trainer Kent Baker and Wayne Smith of Coldwater and Cal Patterson of Wasaga Beach own Certified Election, acquiring him at a sale just prior to the Semifinal where he finished fourth from Post 8.
“He raced actually real good. He didn’t get away real well, but he didn’t have a good post,” says Baker. “He’ll have no excuses with position this time, but maybe we can’t go fast enough.”
Certified Election and driver Steve Byron will start from the advantageous Post 1 on Saturday and Baker adds that with one race already under his belt, Byron may have a better idea where the chestnut colt’s gas pedal is located.
“(Byron) did a good job the first time so hopefully he can do a good job again this week. He’ll be on to the colt a little bit by now,” says the trainer. “The colt’s a little lazy. It’d be nice if he could get a little more aggressive, but maybe he will this week.”
While Petals Of A Flower and Certified Election’s connections are eminently familiar with Georgian Downs, trainer Bob McIntosh is planing his first outing to the new facility this weekend. The Windsor resident has a total of five starters in the Championship events, including a trio in the pacing colt Championship in Race 6.
“I’ve never been there so I’m going to take a drive up this weekend,” says McIntosh. “It should be a good night of racing and hopefully I’ll have a chance to get my picture taken.”
Of the three pacing colts who will carry the McIntosh stable colours in the Grassroots Final, the early favourite to be the trainer’s co-star in the winner’s circle is Tommy’s Luck, who scored the most impressive win of the night last Saturday. In spite of the snow-soaked racing surface, the Camluck son stormed home to a five length, 1:56.4 victory.
“He was very impressive. He went a big mile there with the track conditions and he did it very easily,” says McIntosh. “It’s been a nice surprise, the way he’s come on to be tough this fall.”
Sylvain Filion will be back in the race bike for owner Robert Waxman of Ancaster, sending the talented young pacer after his sixth win from Post 5. Waxman also owns Daylon Alert, who will start from Post 4 Saturday. Another son of Camluck, Daylon Alert was nudged out of the winner’s circle in the other Semifinal when Video Express got up late to score the 1:59 win by a head.
McIntosh’s third starter, Jimmy Crack Cohen, is owned by Waxman’s father Chester of Ancaster and will fire off the gate from Post 7 with Don McElroy in the race bike.
“He’s a nice colt who has been pretty consistent all year long,” says McIntosh. “Don said he got a few body checks last week and stayed game, and he came out of it fine.
“Don’t count Donny out. He’s got a nose for the money in these Sires Stakes things.”
McIntosh and McElroy combined for a pair of victories during the three-year-old Championship event at Windsor Raceway last Sunday and captured three sophomore division crowns in 2001 to score the first of what will likely be a pair of Ontario Sires Stakes training and driving titles.
In addition to Jimmy Crack Cohen, the pair could add to their post season hit parade with trotting colt Mr Tantalizer from Post 5 in Race 4 and with Cam Nice Girl from Post 7 in the pacing filly Final.
Among the fillies hoping to prevent Cam Nice Girl from adding to her trainer and driver’s hardware collection are Semifinal winner Feathery Fame, who will benefit from Post 1 in the eighth race, and her stablemate Apaches Angel, who will start from Post 6.
Gregg McNair trains both Apaches Fame daughters and is looking toward Feathery Fame for his best shot at the division crown. The Guelph resident trains Feathery Fame for his mother Gwendolyn McNair of Walkerton and expects the Semifinal winner to be on her toes this week.
“She had been a little sick and we hadn’t been able to get a lot of work into her the week before the Semifinal,” says McNair. “With the little bit heavy track I thought, a small mare like that, it might tire her out, but she came through with a big effort. It was kind of a nice surprise.”
Now that she is healthy and has some work under her belt, McNair expects the filly to be ready for battle on Saturday night and Jim McClure, who qualified both McNair trainees, opted for Feathery Fame as his Championship mount. Stablemate Apaches Angel will be piloted by Sylvain Filion.
Georgian Downs sends its first race behind the gate at 7:30 pm on Saturday evening and the two-year-old Grassroots stars will light up the northern sky in Races 2, 4, 6, and 8.