SUDBURY, ON — Jim Ritchie and Bud Thorne teamed up for a pair of wins at Sudbury Downs on Saturday night, capturing two of six freshman trotting colt Grassroots wild card divisions.
The pair made their first appearance in the Sudbury winner’s circle with Grand Sovereign after Race 9. Ritchie piloted the fan favourite to a six length romp over Mathers Lavec and Icarus Seelster, stopping the clock at 2:05.2. Fergus resident Thorne trains Grand Sovereign for his partners Terry Taylor of Whitby, John Baker of Brampton and Robert Rombough of Mississauga. The win was the Royal Strength son’s first of the season in four starts, two of them in the Grassroots and two in the Gold Series, and bumped his earnings to $34,033.
Two races later the pair were smiling for the track photographer a second time when Brethors Legacy scored an upset over favourite Angus Scot in the fastest of the six Grassroots divisions. Sitting in the middle of the pack through most of the mile, Ritchie and Brethors Legacy capitalised on a miscue by pacesetter Princetown Michael at the three-quarter pole and sprinted away from the field around the final turn, turning for home six lengths on top. By the time he hit the wire, the Royal Strength son had increased his lead to seven lengths on Angus Scot and 14 on third-place finisher Navarin Hanover.
The 2:02 score was Brethors Legacy’s first victory of the season through three starts. Thorne, who trains the gelding for Sharon Haslam of Milton and Sierrah Vona of Brampton, opted to start the young trotter’s provincial career in the Aug. 18 Gold Series at Woodbine where he finished sixth and failed to advance to the Final.
Crown Meadow jumped up the division standings with a 2:05.4 victory in the last race of the evening. The Wesgate Crown son and driver Larry Hughes stalked pacesetter Hes A Star through fractions of :31, 1:02 and 1:33.4 before powering around the final turn to the half length victory. Hes A Star stayed game for second, holding off favourite Windsong Archie through the stretch.
George McClure of Clinton trains and shares ownership on Crown Meadow with Catherine, Darcy and Dustin McClure of Clinton. The win moved the gelding into fourth spot in the division standings with one win, one second, one fourth and one fifth through four Grassroots starts.
Hot on Crown Meadow’s heels in the point race is Schemin N Dreamin, who moved into fifth spot with his 2:05 triumph in the twelfth race. The Incredible Abe son and trainer-driver Mark Steacy powered to the front from Post 7 and never glanced back, hitting the quarter mile marker six lengths on top and maintaining their lead throughout the mile. Long shots Armbro Bjorn and Sporty Hope rounded out the top three in the $18,000 skirmish that saw favourites Yall Just Jealous and Leave It To Eager finish a distant eighth and ninth.
Steacy, who makes his home in Lansdowne, trains the talented young trotter for co-owners David Reid of Kingston, Malcolm Man Son Hing of Nepean and Stan Klemencic of Trenton. Through four starts Schemin N Dreamin has posted one win, one second, one third and one fourth.
The other two Grassroots divisions went to first time starter Incredible T J in 2:04.3 and Gold Series regular Knockout in 2:03.4. The two-year-old trotting colts resume their Grassroots rivalry on Sept. 25 at Hiawatha Horse Park and make their fourth Gold Series start Sept. 25 at Mohawk Racetrack.
Saturday’s event wrapped up Sudbury Downs’ 2003 Ontario Sires Stakes schedule, which saw four exciting Grassroots divisions visit the province’s northernmost oval. The provincial program looks forward to returning to Sudbury Downs in 2004 with a new crop of two and three-year-olds eager to prove their mettle on the Ontario Sires Stakes stage.