INNISFIL, ON — Raising the curtain on Saturday night’s Grassroots Championships at Georgian Downs are eight representatives of what has been described as the most talented crop of two-year-old trotting fillies ever produced in Ontario.

In addition to 16 Grassroots divisions, these gifted youngsters have captured two Flamboro Breeders Stakes, four Trillium Series divisions and cashed four cheques in Gold Series Elimination action. And while she may not be as decorated as some of her peers, Semifinal winner Porsche Hall has quickly proven that she belongs on the same stage.

“She’s had four starts and the other ones have had anywhere from eight to 10,” notes trainer Terry Kerr. “So she’s fresher than the rest of them, or they have more experience. It depends on the way you want to look at it.”

While Porsche Hall has made only half as many starts, the Angus Hall daughter’s win column measures favourably against her peers. She posted wins in the Sept. 5 and Oct. 1 Grassroots events and made short work of the field in last week’s Semifinal, cruising home three and a half lengths on top in 2:01.2. The filly’s only miss was a third-place finish in the Sept. 23 Grassroots event at Grand River Raceway, and Kerr is still at a loss to explain the break she made at the top of the stretch.

“She got on one line that night for some reason,” says the trainer-driver. “She just tossed her head and made a break, and then she still came back and finished third.”

Porsche Hall has not offered to make the same mistake since, but Kerr is still hedging his bets.

“We just have to keep our fingers crossed for a couple more days,” says the Sarnia resident, who trains the filly for owner-breeders Bet Max Stables Inc. of Casco, MI and Benenati Inc. of Clinton Township, MI. “She’s been really nice so far, except for that one start.”

Porsche Hall will start from Post 6 in Saturday’s first $100,000 contest, well to the right of the rail she had in the Semifinal, and Kerr says he won’t decide on a strategy until the starting gate swings away from the field.

“I won’t know really until the gate leaves,” he says. “I’ll have to play it by ear.”

Trainer-driver Normand Dessureault is also playing things by ear, but the McGregor resident is concerned that his options might be limited by Su Lavec’s health.

“I’ve got my fingers crossed, he’s a little snotty this week,” says Dessureault. “Hopefully he can hang on for one more week and get a well deserved rest after that.”

Su Lavec earned his way into the two-year-old trotting colt Final with a third-place effort in the elimination round last weekend. The Mr Lavec son has been one of the surprises in this year’s freshman trotting colt division, overcoming some early challenges to finish in a two-way tie for third in the Grassroots standings.

Dessureault and partner Daniel Durfy of Ypsilanti, MI bred and raised Su Lavec, and the trainer-driver says the gelding’s legs were so crooked at birth he practically walked on his hocks. Six weeks in a cast corrected the problem and since his July 14 debut Su Lavec has proven the old adage that pretty is as pretty does. Through six Grassroots starts he posted two wins, two seconds and two thirds and last week’s Semifinal performance boosted his earnings to $35,724.

“He’s come along good,” says Dessureault. “He’s got stronger at the right time.”

With the advantageous Post 1 in Race 2, Dessureault is confident Su Lavec can position himself to play a role in the race’s outcome.

“He’s got gate speed, and so far he’s not a horse to make breaks. I’ll follow a good one or I’ll decide to cut it,” says the veteran horseman. “I don’t mind sitting in a hole, but I’m not going to let too many go by. If I’m in the two-hole I want to have a lot of confidence in the guy in front of me.

“If you follow the right horse and get a good trip, you have a chance to get a good cheque, but if you get behind the wrong horse and they stop in front of you, you can’t go over them,” he adds. “I wouldn’t mind following Ross Battin (Potential Renegade).”

The talented two-year-old trotting fillies and colts will test Dessureault’s theory in Races 1 and 2 at Georgian Downs on Saturday night. Post time for the $800,000 evening of Grassroots excitement is 7:35 pm.

For a complete list of Grassroots Championship entries please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/entries/data/egeodfsa.html