LONDON, ON — Ontario Sires Stakes excitement roars back into London this weekend as Western Fair Raceway offers up Grassroots events on Friday and Saturday evening.
On Friday the half-mile oval welcomes the exciting three-year-old pacing fillies, who will compete for a total of $105,928 in seven divisions. Leading the fillies into their last Grassroots event is Maddy Girl, who sits atop the division standings with 155 points earned through three wins and one fifth-place result in four starts.
The Run The Table daughter stepped up to the Gold Series in August, finishing a creditable second in her elimination and fourth in the Final, but a lacklustre performance in the Sept. 20 Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association of Ontario (SBOA) Stake at Mohawk Racetrack convinced trainer Jim Ainsworth to return to the Grassroots for the filly’s final regular season provincial start.
“I wasn’t happy with the way she raced in the SBOA Stake,” says the Sarnia resident. “She likes being a big fish in a small pond.”
Owned by Ainsworth and his wife Shelley and the Martwest Racing Stable of Mississauga, Maddy Girl will defend her division crown from the advantageous Post 1 in the seventh race at Western Fair Raceway on Friday evening.
One of the fillies hoping to gain some ground on Maddy Girl is Victorious Killean, who currently sits ninth in the Grassroots point standings with one win, one second and one fourth-place finish in three starts, for a total of 83 points. Victorious Killean also made the leap up to the Gold Series at Woodbine Racetrack in August, finishing third in her elimination and out of the money in the Final after being knocked off stride at the three-quarter pole, and owner Tony Aarts hopes she can regain her elimination form on Friday night.
“That was one of her better races. The elimination anyway was great,” says Aarts. “She’s from a good family, but she just hasn’t raced up to snuff. That race in Toronto was her best.”
In an effort to provide the Run The Table daughter with a late season jolt, Aarts decided to move her into Brad Maxwell’s barn after her Oct. 3 start at Hiawatha Horse Park. Ayr resident Maxwell will harness the filly for the first time on Friday with driver Greg Wright, Jr. taking his usual place in the race bike at Post 2 in the tenth race.
“We wanted to try something different with her. She just has that attitude once in a while that we thought a shift in scene might change things around for her,” says Putnam resident Aarts. “So we gave her to (Brad) Maxwell about a week ago.
“I think she’ll do all right. Post 2 will help because then she’s on the front end. She likes to roll on the front end,” he adds.
Victorious Killean, Maddy Girl and 48 of their peers will be rolling into London in time for Western Fair Raceway’s 6:30 pm post time on Friday night and the three-year-old pacing fillies will raise the excitement level in Races 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10.