SARNIA, ON — Oaklea Oaks trotted her way into the Grassroots post season with a 2:01.1 victory at Hiawatha Horse Park on Saturday evening.

The two-year-old trotting filly and driver David Boughton controlled the pace from start to finish, hitting the wire four lengths on top in 2:01.1. Icy Welcome, owned by Richard and Robert Manders of Watford, earned the second-place share of the $19,825 purse and Orillia Seelster was another length and three-quarters back in third.

Oaklea Oaks was making just her second lifetime start for trainer Dave Tingley of Guelph and his partner Hans Mueller of Barrie. The Angus Hall miss captured her first Grassroots win at Grand River Raceway on Sept. 23 and the pair of victories landed her in a two-way tie for eleventh in the Grassroots standings.

A 2:03 victory from the outside Post 8 in the second Grassroots division propelled Strikingly Luvable to the top of the standings and gave the Striking Sahbra daughter a perfect four for four record in the Grassroots regular season.

Ross Henry, who currently leads all trainers in the Ontario Sires Stakes’s Johnston Cup race, trains Strikingly Luvable for the Henry Stable of Arthur and Alan Bodin of Rockwood. The filly, with Trevor Henry in the race bike, has amassed an impressive record of six wins and one second through nine starts, with her only misses coming in two cracks at the Gold Series fillies.

Fan favourite Keystone Alberta and Windsong Cappucino rounded out the top three in the second race.

Incredibly Elegant made the most radical leap up the standings, eking out a head victory in the first division to move from thirty-fifth to sixteenth. The Incredible Abe daughter and driver Jim McClure capitalised on a late break by pacesetter Lukes Justine, sprinting down the stretch to post the narrow 2:03.1 victory over Traceys Memory and Zorgwijk Grandiose.

Keith Jones trains Incredibly Elegant for Morris Feldman and Serge Moalli of Saint-Lazare, QC, John Jones of Kirkland, QC and Linda Moalli of Les Cedres, QC.

After spending the season battling the top fillies in the province, Fancy N Diamonds scored a win in her first Grassroots start, stopping the clock at 2:02.3 in Race 5. The Striking Sahbra daughter and driver Alan Richardson led through all stations en route to the three and a half length victory over Bernice Daniece and Natashas San.

Bill O’Donnell trains Fancy N Diamonds for Mimade Stable of Lexington, KY and Richard Rader of Nicholasville, KY.

Porsche Hall scooped up the Grassroots trophy in the last division, battling favourite C H Meadow Miss down the stretch to claim the half length victory in 2:01.2. Pacesetter Bullville Peachy could not keep up with the fleet footed pair and faded ten lengths back to third.

Sarnia resident Terry Kerr trains and drives Porsche Hall for Bet Max Stables Inc. of Casco, MI and Benenati Inc. of Clinton Township, MI. The win was the second in three starts for the Angus Hall miss and earned her a spot in the Grassroots post season.

The top 16 point earners will battle in a pair of Semifinals at Georgian Downs on Saturday, Oct. 8, with the top eight returning to the Innisfil oval the following week for the $100,000 Grassroots Championship.

Saturday’s event wrapped up Hiawatha Horse Park’s 2005 Ontario Sires Stakes season, which saw the Sarnia oval play host to eight different Gold and Grassroots events. Ontario Sires Stakes excitement will return to Hiawatha Horse Park in 2006 when a fresh crop of young trotters and pacers roll into town, eager to make their mark in the provincial program.

For complete results please go to:

http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rsarfsa.html