HANOVER, ON — Ontario Sires Stakes action returns to Hanover Raceway on Saturday evening with six Grassroots divisions for the talented two-year-old trotting fillies.
Marclif Victoria and Trendy Girl sit atop the division standings with 62 and 58 points respectively. The leaders will face off head-to-head on Saturday in the tenth race, with Marclif Victoria starting from the advantageous Post 1 and Trendy Girl trailing behind her from Post 8.
Trainer Franklin MacDonald of Clinton and Clifton Walsh of Wingham bred and own Marclif Victoria, who was third in her provincial debut at Kawartha Downs on July 12 and captured her second Grassroots start on July 27 from Post 1 at Dresden Raceway. The Brylin Boyz filly and Dave Wall will be looking for a second triumph on Saturday to cement their lead in the Grassroots point race.
Trendy Girl heads into Saturday’s showdown with one win and one fourth-place finish to her credit, scoring her victory in the season opener. The Balanced Image lass, trained by John Bax for owner-breeders Al Libfeld of Pickering and Marvin Katz and Sam Goldband of Toronto, also boasts a win in Trillium Series action at Rideau Carleton Raceway on July 4.
Hoping to douse both fillies’ hopes of a victory is Larry Walker’s Spring Audit, who will make her third Grassroots start from Post 2. A third-place finisher in the July 12 contest behind Gold Elimination winner Zorgwijk Emani, Spring Audit ran into problems at Dresden, making breaks at the start and the halfway marker. The Angus Hall daughter, owned by Gresta Limited of Hanover, will be looking to redeem herself and jump into the top 16 on Saturday.
Walker’s brother Paul of Owen Sound will start a quartet of trotting lasses at his local oval on Saturday.
Kicking off Paul Walker’s busy evening is Lukes Grace, who will start from Post 7 in the first race. Owned by Brenda Walker and Barry Klages of Owen Sound and Frank Lipsett of Annan, Lukes Grace will be looking for a solid effort in her second Grassroots outing after making a break in her July 27 debut.
One race later Walker will pilot Yawantakissgoodbye from Post 1 for breeders Black Walnut Stables of Brantford. The Incredible Abe daughter also made her debut in the July 27 Grassroots event and delivered a steady runner-up effort, which has her sitting just above the current cut off for the top 16.
Reigning Image makes her debut on the Grassroots stage from Post 8 in the fourth race. The Balanced Image filly prepped for Saturday’s contest with a runner-up finish in a maiden event at Clinton Raceway on Aug. 10 where she fired from Post 6 to the front and then stalked the pacesetter to the 2:05.2 finish. Walker shares ownership on Reigning Image with Carscot Stables of Toronto.
The longtime partners also own Walker’s final starter, Carscot Lou, who will make her career debut from Post 5 in the seventh race. The Mr Lavec daughter qualified Aug. 16 over the Hanover half-mile, trotting her mile in 2:08.3.
Hanover Raceway sends the first division of trotting fillies to the post at 7:20 on Saturday night with the other five divisions going postward as Races 2, 4, 7, 9 and 10.