GLOUCESTER, ON — Trillium Series action returns to Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday evening with two divisions for the talented two-year-old pacing fillies.
Bob Young will send a pair of fillies to the gate on Sunday and the trainer is hoping the Trillium event gives the duo an opportunity to move their game to another level. Da Bunnie Wabbit, who starts from Post 9 in the sixth race, has a pair of wins to her credit in an overnight and Grassroots division at Woodstock Raceway and Fernbank Franny, who starts from Post 5 in the eighth race heads into the Trillium with two wins and a second in overnight action.
“We trained them Tuesday over Mohawk and they trained really good,” says Young. “They are both nice fillies.”
Owned by John Fleischman of Stittsville and Peter Haime of Ottawa, Fernbank Franny has displayed much needed versatility in her first three races and Young expects Post 5 to suit the talented Jate Lobell daughter.
“She’s a bigger mare and once she gets rolling she carries her speed a long way,” says Young. “She doesn’t have that quick brush, but she can really carry her speed. She’s a versatile filly, she leaves the gate well and tries a lot.” Dave Boughton will pilot the filly in her stakes debut and the duo will have their eyes peeled for early favourite One Hot Beach from Post 7.
Da Bunnie Wabbit is owned by breeder Marilyn Fromowitz of Richmond Hill and Young says the Historic daughter has been a pleasant surprise from the moment she arrived in his barn this spring.
“Mrs. Fromowitz called and asked if I wanted to train a filly for her and I said, “Sure,”” recalls the Guelph resident. “She said Arnie Kestle has her, so I called Arnie and asked how she was and he said, “She’s good Bob. She paces good, she does everything right and she’s ready to go to the racetrack and go from there.””
Da Bunnie Wabbit made her debut in a maiden event at Woodstock Raceway on July 26 and trounced the field by 11 lengths in 2:00.2. One week later she was back at Woodstock for a Grassroots event where her winning time was the same and her margin of victory increased to 13 lengths.
“We knew she had a Grassroots at Woodstock so I thought we might as well go over that racetrack once,” recalls Young. “Dave Boughton drove her and he said she was awesome. In the Grassroots he said, “She just dragged me around again.”
“She’s been a real pleasant surprise.”
Among the fillies Boughton and Da Bunnie Wabbit will be watching is Wipethatsmerkoff, owned by C M T Farms of Arnprior and Bad Plus Stable of Greely, who will start from Post 5.
Rideau Carleton Raceway’s first race goes postward at 6:30 pm on Sunday, with the two-year-old pacing fillies stepping into the spotlight in Races 6 and 8.