CAMPBELLVILLE, ON — While Ontario’s talented Grassroots competitors prepared to battle in eight $100,000 finals at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday evening, the finalists from Win The Thrill events across the province were crossing their fingers in hopes of winning a share in the Standardbred Breeders of Ontario Association’s New Owner Mentoring program.
Enjoying a special reception in their honour, the finalists were introduced to some of Ontario’s leading drivers — including Sylvain Filion and Scott Coulter, who would each win two Grassroots Finals later in the evening — and given a brief glimpse of what might be in store should their ballot be selected as the Grand Prize winner.
Mentor Brian Webster of St. George Brant was on hand, eager to welcome the tenth and final member of the New Owner’s Group, who are the proud owners of pacing colt Bad Boy Matt, purchased out of the Canadian Yearling Sale in September for $22,000 and soon to begin his lessons with trainer Tony O’Sullivan of Cambridge.
After much anticipation, and eight outstanding performances by this year’s top pacers and trotters, the Grand Prize winner was selected, and Beth Wallace of Dundas joined the ranks of The Dream Team Stable.
“We had won the (door prize) tickets for dinner at Flamboro and I said, �I’m very happy, I’ve won two tickets for Flamboro, and I’m happy with that. If nothing else comes of it I’m going away a winner anyway.’ So that’s what I said, I did a little prayer, and there you go, I won a horse,” said the delighted Wallace. “I’m just trying to get my head around �I won’.”
Wallace participated in the contest at Flamboro Downs and was selected as a finalist on July 11. The Dundas resident and her family are longtime fans of harness racing and had talked about owning horses in their retirement, but those plans were put on hold when Wallace started kidney dialysis in 2009.
“This has always been our dream, my husband’s and my dream, but I had to retire and with three kids in University, there’s no money for that now,” said Wallace, who underwent a kidney transplant in the spring after 14 months of dialysis. “So we thought this is not going to happen, and so� it has. So all of this stuff is kind of going through my brain, and I’m thinking, �Wow, wow, wow.’
“I can’t wait to get home and call everybody,” added the delighted winner, whose three children were tops on her list of people to contact.
Two ballots were also selected for runner-up prizes, with dinner for four during the Nov. 12 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Finals at Woodbine Racetrack and one night’s hotel accommodation going to Corry Price of Centralia, who qualified as a Win The Thrill finalist at Clinton Raceway, and a stunning framed print by photographer Matt Waples going to three-time finalist Jack Kearney of Scarborough, who entered the Win The Thrill contest at Grand River Raceway.
Congratulations to all the Win The Thrill finalists, who will no doubt be keeping their eyes peeled for Bad Boy Matt on next summer’s Ontario Sires Stakes circuit.