Two young harness racing newcomers achieved their first career victories during the fourth Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots event for two-year-old trotting colts on Tuesday, September 3, at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The first to cross the finish line was Stmikes Kerryblues (driven by Sylvain Filion and trained by Kyle Fellows) in the second of four divisions. The colt, previously 0-for-seven with one show finish in his prior Grassroots start, made a bold move to take the lead in the second quarter. After benefiting from chaos behind him when two rivals tangled down the stretch, he pulled away to win by two and three-quarter lengths in 1:57.3. Gucci Gucci Goo (Jonathan Drury) finished in second, followed by Gaslight Hall (James MacDonald). Stmikes Kerryblues, named in honour of the football team from St. Michael’s College, has accumulated earnings of $27,113 for owners Yolanda Fellows and Edward and Beverle Wilson.
The second maiden to break through was First Class Rule (driven by Todd Ratchford and trained by Matt Bax). Following a third-place finish in the Balanced Image Final, this colt dominated the third division, winning in 1:58.2. Getthegreen (Roger Mayotte) showcased late speed to finish second, while The Time Machine (Drury) secured third place. First Class Rule has earned $20,083 from six career starts and is owned by Bax Stable, Glengate Farms, Gaelic Stable, and Ronald Van Noort.
The first division went to Hay Dad (driven by Bob McClure), who led the race from the start and edged out Cleveland Royalty (Tyler Borth) by half a length, finishing in 1:59.1. Royal Life (Trevor Henry) came in third. Hay Dad, trained by Mark Etsell, now holds a record of two wins in five starts, both victories coming in Grassroots events, and has earned $26,440 for owners Terry Devos, Peter Porter, and James Whelan.
Cousin Halifax (Trixton) rounded off the day's events by winning the final division, marking his second consecutive victory. Trevor Henry guided the gelding on a front-running journey, finishing strong in 1:56 for a one-length win over Day (Louis-Philippe Roy), who was followed by Captain Suzuki (Filion) in third, more than four lengths behind. Cousin Halifax has accumulated $27,000 across four starts, including a place finish in his other Grassroots outing.
The next race day at Woodbine Mohawk Park is scheduled for Thursday, September 5, with a first post time of 7:10 p.m. EDT.