INNISFIL, ON — Ontario’s two-year-old stakes season is now in full swing, and Georgian Downs hosts its second group of freshman on Tuesday, July 1 when the pacing colts arrive for their Grassroots Series debut.
A total of $126,000 is on the line in seven Grassroots divisions and Stayner resident Alvin Bowman is hoping Hy Bert can earn a share of it in Race 5. The homebred son of Albert Albert and Classy Sis heads into the Canada Day event off a pair of solid qualifiers at Mohawk Racetrack and Bowman is confident he has not yet seen the colt’s best effort.
“In his first qualifier he stepped on a shoe and had it hanging half off coming down the stretch, so Doug (Brown) didn’t want to drive him in case he hurt himself so he held on to him and finished with a lot of horse,” explains Bowman, who trains the colt for his partner Judy Campbell of Stayner. “In the second one Doug was trying to get somebody else to do some of the work because he was on the front end, then he got him locked in at the three-quarters and just about run over horses in front trying to get out. So he should be bravened up pretty good.”
Brown will pilot the colt from Post 7 on Tuesday and Bowman expects Hy Bert to handle the start from the gate’s outer tier without any difficulty.
“I think he’ll be all right from the seven-hole. He gets off the wings pretty good,” says Bowman. “And he’s used to Georgian. I train here at the farm, but when I train fast I take him down there.”
Bowman considered taking Hy Bert to Rideau Carleton Raceway for the Gold Series, but decided sticking closer to home was a kinder way to start the colt’s Sires Stakes career.
“The reason we didn’t got, first of all it’s in Ottawa and it was very hot and the shipping is hard on a horse. And if he did make the Final then he’d have to ship up again. And I figured he’d have to go in 1:56,” says Bowman. “I thought that might just be a little tough for a first time starter so I thought maybe I’d just get a start into him in the Grassroots and if he’s good enough we’ll go to Woodbine for the Gold (July 10).”
To advance to the next Sires Stakes level Hy Bert will have to best a field of seven, including Scott McNiven trainee Island Zeeker, who captured an overnight event at Hiawatha Horse Park in 1:56.3 on June 21. Donald Douglas of Ingersoll bred and owns Island Zeeker, who will be piloted by Greg Dustin from Post 3.
Racing gets under way at 7:30 at Georgian Downs on Tuesday and the two-year-old pacing colts will try their hand at Grassroots action in Races 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9.