INNISFIL, ON — Wingandaprayer surprised Georgian Downs fans on Saturday night, overcoming the outside Post 7 to score his second Grassroots victory in a personal best 1:58.3.
With Terry Fritz in the race bike, the Grinfromeartoear son eased off the starting gate and sat last as favourite So Hot led the field of two-year-old pacing colts to a :28.3 opening quarter. Heading toward the :58.3 half Fritz sent Wingandaprayer up the outside behind the fan’s second choice, Ancient Highway, and by the 1:28.1 three-quarters the pair were sitting four lengths behind the leader in sixth.
Around the final turn Wingandaprayer advanced two more lengths toward the front and a smart finishing kick propelled him past So Hot to earn the three-quarter length victory. Gin And Vermouth finished one and a quarter lengths back in third.
Mount Albert resident Robert Atkin trains Wingandaprayer for Millar Farms of Newmarket. Saturday’s victory was the colt’s second of the season and moved him well up the Grassroots standings, landing him in sixth place with 112 points.
The colt’s stablemates, Mythic Voyage and Rare Copy, earned second and fifth-place finishes in their respective races.
Rare Copy finished five lengths behind points leader Acceptable Risk, who extended his Grassroots win streak to a flawless five races with a 1:58.1 romp in the third race.
In rein to Randy Fritz, Acceptable Risk went straight to the front from Post 4 and cruised home an easy two and a half length winner over longshot Marcus The Brut and Mr Willpower. Dan Morrissey trains Intrepid Seelster son Acceptable Risk for David Morrissey of Ailsa Craig and Daniel McCann and William Woodburn of Parkhill.
Randy Fritz scored his second win of the evening in the ninth race, using the same front end strategy to earn Youretheluckyone a win in his Grassroots debut and force fan favourite Mythic Voyage into the runner-up spot. Open Range rounded out the top three in the $15,000 contest.
Kenneth Spurlock and Nancy Lee Bowman of Cedar Lake, IN and Phil Wiley of Merrillville, IN share ownership on Youretheluckyone, who started his Ontario Sires Stakes career at the Gold Series level. Darren James McCall trains the Dexter Nukes son, who boosted his record to two wins, one second and two thirds with the 1:56.3 victory.
Mario Baillargeon also scored a driving double in Grassroots action Saturday, steering King Joe to a win in the first race of the evening and Great Balldini to the fastest mile of the eight provincial skirmishes in Race 8.
King Joe fired straight to the front from Post 4 in the first race and led his peers around the Georgian Downs oval to a 1:56.4 triumph, his second of the season. Fan favourite Underground King had to settle for second, while Boom Hereicome travelled around the outside into third.
Mark Etsell trains King Joe for breeder David Snowden of Bowmanville. The Camluck colt is the second foal of former Ontario Sires Stakes, star and $719,434 winner, Queens Arms.
Seven races later Baillargeon and Great Balldini emerged the winners from a thrilling stretch drive with Dreamluck. After leading through most of the mile, Great Balldini dug in down the stretch to earn the neck decision in 1:56. Taylorlane Cruiser was two lengths behind the leaders in third.
Ben Wallace trains Great Balldini for Irving Bork of Hartford, CT, who scooped the Presidential Ball son out of last fall’s New Jersey Classic Sale for a mere $4,500. A Gold Series competitor through the first three months of the season, Great Balldini has returned $29,787 on Bork’s investment.
The other Grassroots divisions went to Camarkable in 1:57.1, Shadowwavekillean in 1:56.3 and Banana Joes Bar in 1:56.3.
The two-year-old pacing colts wrap up their Grassroots season at Kawartha Downs on Saturday, Oct. 1, while the two-year-old trotting colts get their advance preview of Grassroots Championship host track Georgian Downs on the same day.
For complete results please go to:
http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rgeodfsa.html