HANOVER, ON — J Ls Sunny Boy scored the fastest win in five Grassroots divisions at Hanover Raceway on Saturday night, stopping the clock at 2:01.1 with a last minute charge down the stretch.
Leaving from Post 8 the Must B Sunny colt and driver Wayne Henry followed Royal King Pin and George Zirnis off the gate and stuck close behind as the fan favourites trotted to fractions of :30.1, 1:00.2 and 1:31.1. When the three-year-old trotting colts turned for home J Ls Sunny Boy was one and a half lengths behind the leader, but a determined effort through the stretch landed the colt the victory by a head. E B Joe finished two and three-quarter lengths back in third.
Breeder James Laverty of Sauble Beach and trainer Ross Henry of Arthur share ownership on J Ls Sunny Boy, who sits atop the Grassroots standings with 162 points earned through three victories and one third-place finish. The consistent trotter has delivered a total of seven wins and one third, for earnings of $60,198, from 10 starts this season.
Zirnis reversed the order of finish in the next Grassroots division, engineering a wire-to-wire victory with Total Mayhem while Trevor Henry and Crystal Image were relegated to second. Also sent off as the Hanover fans’ top pick, Total Mayhem stopped the infield timer at 2:02.1 one length up on Crystal Image and two ahead of third-place finisher Remember A Friend.
Trainer-driver Zirnis shares ownership of Total Mayhem with NFWR Stables of Brampton and Thomas Cousineau of Elmira. The win was the Promising Catch colt’s first in Grassroots competition and his third of the season.
Elmira resident Zirnis was back in the Hanover winner’s circle after the third division, piloting Carrland Buddy to his first Grassroots win in 2:02.4. Armbro Warden and Oaklea Kramer trotted into second and third, while favourite Pitandthepandulum had to settle for fourth. The Smart Cat Stable of Elmira own Carrland Buddy, who was a Gold Final winner at two and sits in a three-way tie for ninth after two Grassroots starts this season.
Favourite M Rene Lavec was also consigned to fourth spot in Race 9 when Earls Song, Royal Hope and Armbro Whiplash out trotted him through the stretch. The top three colts finished within a neck of one another, requiring a magnifying glass to separate them in the finish line photo. In the end Earls Song was awarded the 2:01.3 victory, his first in provincial action and second of the year, with Royal Hope second and Armbro Whiplash third.
Breeder Earl Ash, Ronald Ash and Michael Lang of Desboro own the Earl son, who squeaked into the top 16 point earners with the win.
The final division went to Armbro Warrior in 2:02. Scott Bell trains the Mr Lavec son for Felix Racing Stable of Westerville, NJ.
The three-year-old trotting colts make their fifth Grassroots start on Sept. 7 at Sudbury Downs, while Hanover Raceway wraps up its 2002 Ontario Sires Stakes season on Wednesday with six Grassroots divisions for the two-year-old trotting fillies.