SUDBURY, ON — Ontario Sires Stakes action returns to Sudbury Downs for the final time this season on Friday night, with four divisions of two-year-old trotting fillies ready to battle in their final regular season Grassroots event.
While the top 10 point earners have already secured a spot in the Grassroots post season, competition will be fierce on Friday between the fillies near the cut off for the top 16. A top three finish could be the difference between an early retirement from the freshman campaign trail and a shot at the $100,000 Grassroots Championship.
One of the fillies who has already locked up her spot in the Nov. 2 Grassroots Semifinal is Shawland Y Two K. The model of consistency in her five provincial starts, Shawland Y Two K chalked up one win, three seconds and one third for a total of 137 points and a share of second spot in the division standings.
“Consistency has been the key element to her all along,” says the filly’s trainer Kyle Reibeling. “She threw in one bad start, but fortunately it wasn’t in a stake race. She’s always been kind of light on her feet and shown quite a bit of steadiness. She’s never shown an inclination to make a break and we’ll keep our fingers crossed that she never learns how.”
Reibeling trains the winner of $29,738 for owner-breeders James and Doris Shaw of Shawland Farm Inc. in Ancaster, and regular driver Terry Kerr will pilot her from Post 5 in the fifth race on Friday evening. In spite of the distance, Reibeling adds that the Shaws will be in their usual spot on the rail when the Super Pleasure filly steps onto the track for her seventh start.
“He (James) was making their hotel arrangements this morning (Tuesday),” says the Harriston resident. “He and his wife aren’t in the best of health, but they make every trip to the Sires Stakes to watch her.”
The pair will be hoping for another top three result from Shawland Y Two K, who represents three generations of breeding at Shawland Farm. The filly will face two-time Grassroots winner Taffeta Seelster from Post 2 and R Heavenly Hush, who bested her in the Sept. 29 Grassroots, from Post 4 in Race 5.
Like Shawland Y Two K, Memories Of Texas is a product of three generations of breeding at an Ancaster farm. Owned by Alan and Cloah Fair, the Wesgate Crown lass carries a two-race Grassroots win streak into Friday night’s contest and will be aiming for her third from Post 2 in the seventh race.
“She’s a nice little filly. She’s trotted quite fast, but we haven’t had any luck in the Golds,” says Alan Fair, who also handles training duties on Memories Of Texas. “I expect she’ll do well in this Series.”
Fair sent Memories Of Texas off to tackle the Gold Series fillies on two occasions this season, including the Sept. 25 Gold Eliminations at Windsor Raceway, where she finished a tired seventh as the result of a bout with sickness.
“We went to Windsor and she didn’t finish well so I had her scoped and she was right full of mucous and pimples,” says Fair. “Hopefully she’ll be all right. She’s had a couple of weeks and I had her scoped again and everything looked good.”
Her pair of wins have Memories Of Texas sitting in a tie for sixth spot in the division standings, guaranteeing her a place on the gate in the Nov. 2 Grassroots Semifinal.
Shawland Y two K and Memories Of Texas, along with the other 29 fillies signed up for the Sudbury Downs event, will make their way to the half-mile oval in time for the 7:15 pm post time and will light up the northern sky shortly after that in Races 2, 4, 5, and 7.