BELLEVILLE, ON — Sixty freshman pacing colts invade Quinte Exhibition Raceway this Friday to compete for a total of $120,000 in their third Grassroots event.

Among the colts sitting atop the Grassroots point standings is Kentucky Rebel, who captured a division of the season opener at Dresden Raceway on July 4 and finished second in a tough division at Clinton Raceway on July 18. The Armbro Operative son heads into Friday’s event off an impressive 1:57.2 mile competing against older horses at Georgian Downs on Aug. 7.

“He had a couple of wins and a second, and there was such a lapse in the Sires Stakes, it was tough to find a race for him,” says trainer David Byron. “He raced against all three-year-olds from an outside position and paced a last half in :56.3. And Stephen (Byron) said he kept trying, he didn’t give up.”

Bred by Umberto Tullio’s Stable On The Mesa Farm of Newmarket, Kentucky Rebel was acquired by Dan Hall and Leah Findlay of Newmarket after he won his June 19 qualifier at Georgian Downs and a maiden event at Grand River Raceway on June 28.

“I broke him for the guy that bred him, Umberto Tullio, but he sold him after his first lifetime start,” recalls Byron. “I had never met the new owners before they came and looked at him so I was happy they left him with me.”

Byron had been impressed with Kentucky Rebel since his early lessons last fall and was hoping the gelding would develop into a solid Grassroots competitor.

“He was a nice colt all winter and was always a nice colt to train,” says the Thornton resident. “He’s not a big colt, but he’s a handy colt on a half-mile so we thought the best plan would be to go with the Grassroots, and he looks like one of the better ones at this point. It’s a long season though.”

Kentucky Rebel starts from Post 3 in the seventh race on Friday, with Byron’s brother Stephen back in the race bike, and the trainer expects another solid effort from the young pacer.

“He’s game. He seems to give her his all every time.”

The Byron brothers also team up on Abluerunrun, who makes his racing debut from Post 4 in the tenth race. The Run The Table colt, owned by Melvyn, Craig and Chris Varcoe of Thornton, heads into the Grassroots event off a solid qualifier at Georgian Downs on Aug. 7 and his trainer is hoping for another steady effort Friday.

“This will be his first lifetime start,” cautions Byron, “It would have been nice to get a race in before we went there, but he shows a bit of potential.”

Quinte Exhibition Raceway sends its first race behind the gate at 7:25 pm on Friday with the spotlight trained on the two-year-old pacing colts in Races 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10.