Another Great Mass won the action-packed $140,000 Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Leg 2 Gold Series event for 2-year-old trotting colts on Thursday (July 31) at Woodbine Mohawk Park one week after severe weather forced the postponement of the original date for the race.
The homebred son of Muscle Mass out of Incredibility, driven by Trevor Henry, held off a stretch cavalry charge to win by 1¼ lengths over Touchedbyanangel (Doug McNair) in a lifetime best 1:56.2 for trainer Ed Peconi, Jr. and owner/breeder Wade Peconi, the son of the trainer’s cousin, Nick Peconi (who has no connection to this horse).
Another Great Mass, sent off at 9-2, was second to In The Black in the first Gold event in the division on July 12 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. In The Black, sent off as the 8-5 favourite, was 10th in Thursday’s field of 11 that featured a trailer.
The action started at the gate when the trailer First Class Mass broke and Bob McClure left from the 10 hole with The Green Gazoo, but eventually relented to Another Great Mass out of the 6 hole. Another Great Mass took the field through the :27.2 first-quarter, briefly relented to Strobe Lite (Tyler Borth) through the :58.1 half and took the lead back through the 1:28.1 three-quarters.
In the stretch, plenty of the young trotters were game, but Henry’s colt held them off. Touchedbyanangel had broken equipment, but still finished second. D A Mastermind (Chris Christoforou) was third, followed by Taven On the Green (Louis-Philippe Roy) and Strobe Lite.
“My plan was to get a spot early,” Henry told Woodbine broadcaster John Rallis. “I didn’t know whether I’d land on the front or where I’d land, but I wanted to be up close. He’s a handy horse. You can do whatever you want with him and it just worked out that we got easy fractions and he out-trotted them for home.
“Late in the stretch he got relaxed. I had him pretty much to sleep… he’s a pleasure to drive.”
Another Great Mass, paid $11 and is now 2-2-0 in four career starts. The $70,000 payday boosted his bankroll to $113,500 lifetime.
“I never did rush him,” Peconi, Jr. said. “I schooled him a couple of times and it felt like he was getting to be a little bit hot, so I just backed off with him and brough him down [to Woodbine Mohawk Park].”
GRASSROOTS RESULTS
On the Saturday (July 26) card at Kawartha Downs there were three $25,000 OSS Grassroots divisions for 2-year-old trotting fillies. The winners were:
- Makina Run For It (Muscle Mass-Sheguindah) in a career-best 2:00 for owner/breeder Elizabeth Fair of Ancaster, ON, trainer Alan Fair and driver Tyler Jones.
- Rare Legacy (Muscle Mass-Lady Talbot) in a career-best 1:58.1 for breeder Karen Carroll of Shedden, ON, owners S&r Racing Stable Inc. of Acton, ON, Gestions Jf Goyette Inc of Ste-therese, QC and Sms Ventures Inc. of Montreal, trainer Rene Dion and driver Nick Boyd. Rare Legacy was purchased for $18,000 at the 2024 London Classic Yearling Sale.
- Karmaisaqueen (Green Manalishi S-Uptown Classic) in a career-best 1:59.1 for breeder Brittany Kennedy of Ingersoll, ON, owners Duncan Brewer of Waterdown, ON, Randell Urquhart of Hamilton, ON and Steve Deady of Paris, ON, trainer Duncan Brewer and driver Tyler Jones. Karmaisaqueen was purchased for $25,000 at the 2024 London Classic Yearling Sale
On the Wednesday (July 30) card at Grand River Raceway there were four $25,000 OSS Grassroots divisions for 2-year-old trotting colts. The winners were:
- Toss Of The Dice (Archangel-Roll Sevens) in 2:00.3 for breeder Winbak Farm, owners Yolanda Fellows of Rockwood, ON, Leo Fleming of Campbellville, ON, Bill Manes of Rockwood, ON and William Cripps of Acton, ON, trainer Rob Fellows and driver Tyler Borth. Toss Of The Dice was a $25,000 purchase at the 2024 London Classic Yearling Sale.
- Mike Me Up (Muscle Mass-Meghan C) in a career-best 1:58.2 for breeders Tara Hills Stud Ltd. of Port Perry, ON and Glenn Bechtel of Kingston, ON, owners Yolanda Fellows of Rockwood, ON, Erna and Blair Corbeil of Leduc, AB and Mike Mcallister of Beaumont, AB, trainer Rob Fellows and driver Louis-Philippe Roy. Mike Me Up was a $17,000 U.S. yearling purchase at the 2024 Standardbred Horse Sales Company auction in Harrisburg, PA.
- Raucous (Muscle Mass-Ms Mischief) in a career-best 1:59 for breeders Jeff Ruch of Innisfil, ON and Steve Palermo of Etobicoke, ON, owner Bill Donovan of Delray Beach, FL, trainer Daniel Legace and driver Travis Cullen. Raucous was a $50,000 U.S. yearling purchase at the 2024 Standardbred Horse Sales Company auction in Harrisburg, PA.
- L P Bay (Trixton-Sos Respect) in 2:00.4 for breeder/owner Terry Devos of Langton, ON and his ownership partners Peter Porter of Port Dover, ON and Mark Etsell of Rockwood, ON, who also trains the colt. L P Bay was driven to victory by Mario Baillargeon.