SUDBURY, ON — Ontario’s talented two-year-old pacing fillies put on an impressive show for Sudbury Downs fans on Wednesday evening, sprinting around the half-mile oval in four $20,000 Grassroots divisions.
Zegerid Lady got a classic come-from-behind steer from Alfred Carroll and accelerated away from her peers to a track record equalling 1:59 victory in the second Grassroots division, reaching the wire a full eight lengths ahead of runner-ups Southern Seelster and Twin B Nouveau.
Carroll and the Modern Art miss were aided in their record setting effort by fan favourite Grin A Peg, who rolled through sharp early fractions of :28.4 and :59.1 before yielding to Southern Seelster. Carroll fired Zegerid Lady up on the outside heading for the 1:28.4 three-quarters and when the duo turned for home they were already six lengths ahead of the field.
The win marked Zegerid Lady’s first visit to the winner’s circle. In her first two Grassroots starts the Larry Fitzsimmons trainee finished third and seventh. Lynn Browne of Batavia, NY bred and owns the filly, who boosted her earnings to $14,160 with the win and leapt up the Grassroots standings into a tie for fourth.
Tomorrowpan maintained the swift pace established by Zegerid Lady when she circled out three-wide at the three-quarter mark and then rocketed down the stretch to a 1:59.2 score in the third Grassroots split.
Top Ontario Sires Stakes reinsman Brad Forward engineered the victory for trainer Bob McIntosh and owner-breeder Peter Pan Stables Inc. of Pepper Pike, OH. Starting from Post 2, Forward allowed the No Pan Intended daughter to float away from the starting gate, settling in fourth while Kesons Dahlia set the early pace with a :28.3 quarter and a :59.3 half. Heading by the 1:30.3 three-quarters, Forward sent Tomorrowpan three-wide around the leaders and the filly paced down the stretch to a three length victory over Kesons Dahlia and Twilight Katie.
Also victorious in the July 31 Grassroots event at Hiawatha Horse Park, Wednesday’s win gives Tomorrowpan sole ownership of top spot in the division standings with a total of 100 points.
Rossridge Emotion also got a boost in her quest for a berth in the Grassroots post season on Wednesday, capturing the first $20,000 division with a 2:01.2 score. Carl Jamieson trains the Camotion daughter for breeder Ross Ridge Stables of New Hamburg, Douglas Good and Ken Houston of Chatham and Bonnie Rattray of Hamilton and Paul MacLean stepped into the race bike on Wednesday.
After starting her provincial campaign with a win in a July 11 Gold Elimination at Flamboro Downs, Rossridge Emotion finished ninth in the Gold Final, prompting Jamieson to drop her down to the Grassroots program. At Hiawatha on July 31 the filly was third, and Wednesday’s win gives her a total of 62 points and a share of fourth in the standings alongside Zegerid Lady.
Parallel Park and Betting Terror closed hard to round out the top three in the first Grassroots division.
The last provincial skirmish went to Inside Dish, who also employed front-end tactics to land in front of the Sudbury photographer. Travis Bowman piloted the Grinfromeartoear daughter to the 2:02.4 score over Rumpleluckstein and Red On A Rose on behalf of trainer Paul Taylor and owner Glenview Livestock Ltd. of Wallenstein.
Fourth in her Grassroots debut at Hiawatha, Inside Dish currently sits in a tie for sixth with 58 points.
The two-year-old pacing fillies will make their fourth Grassroots start at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sept. 7, while Sudbury Downs wraps up its 2008 Ontario Sires Stakes schedule on Saturday, Aug. 30 with the fourth Grassroots event for the three-year-old pacing fillies.
For complete results please go to: http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/results/data/rsudbywe.html.