DRESDEN, ON — Dresden Raceway offers up a tremendous matinee program this holiday Monday. Five Grassroots divisions of two-year-old trotting colts will keep the action lively on the track, while 16 draws in the Chatham Daily News “Big Cash and Prize Giveaway” will have fans on the edge of their seats through the remainder of the afternoon.
Cash amounts between $100 and $1,000, televisions and bicycles will be up for grabs in the “Big Cash and Prize Giveaway,” and there will be a petting zoo, face painting and pony rides to entertain the pint-sized members of the family.
Headlining the racing program, the freshman trotting colts compete for a total of $97,265 in five Grassroots divisions and Curtis Clements is hoping Shady Suspect can be among the many lucky winners at Dresden on Monday. The Incredible Abe son will attempt to score a second straight Grassroots victory from Post 2 in Race 15, and Clements thinks the post will suit the leggy youngster.
“Maybe the middle is the best place to be in case any of them make breaks going into the first turn,” says the 20-year-old, who shares ownership on Shady Suspect with his older siblings Amy and Chad Clements. “It should be interesting to see how he makes out. He’s pretty good on our track. It’s no hell and he goes down it pretty good.”
Clements’ father Peter trains the homebred trotter and will be using Monday’s event as a tool to plan the gelding’s schedule for the remainder of the summer. Another solid effort could see Shady Suspect make the leap up to the Gold Series to take a run at the Ontario Sires Stakes program’s top dogs.
“We want to get one more mile into him. He’s been in 2:04.2 on a muddy track, I think they allowed about two seconds, but we’ll see what the driver (Ross Battin) says,” notes the Dobbinton resident. “If he thinks the colt can go faster we might go down to Mohawk for the Gold Eliminations; and if they beat him up bad we’ll go back to the Grassroots.
“He’s a big colt, strong, but a little gangly. And he’s still learning. You know what two-year-olds are like, they’ll run just because they think they can run, but he’s pretty good as long as he keeps his mind on his business,” adds the young horseman, who will make the trip to Dresden on Monday with his protege. “We’re just hoping that he keeps going for us.”
Dresden Raceway’s exciting Civic Holiday Monday program gets under way at 1 pm, with the two-year-old trotting colts stepping into the spotlight in Races 4, 8, 10, 12 and 15.