Rookie pacers and trotters of both sexes competed in eight $20,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Semifinals on Friday night at Mohawk Racetrack.
The top five finishers from each Semifinal will return for the $50,000 Grassroots finals next Saturday night at Mohawk.
Pacing Males
The first Semifinal for this group saw Star Cover (Jody Jamieson) in front of a parked-out Thinkofagameplan (Randy Waples) by half a length at the :27-second opening quarter. Thinkofagameplan surged into the lead after that, and he would go on to click off the half in :57.1 and the three-quarters in 1:25.3.
Through the stretch, Thinkofagameplan, who led the Grassroots regular season point standings for the two-year-old colt and gelding pacers, remained in charge, and he would go on to defeat Star Cover by a length and a quarter in 1:53.4. Single White Sock (James MacDonald) was third, followed by Mybestolxfriendray (Billy Davis Jr.) and Pair Of Deuces (Paul MacDonell).
Thinkofagameplan, a Ponder colt who scored his fifth win (all in Grassroots competition) from nine attempts and pushed his earnings to $86,440, is a homebred for trainer Bob McIntosh of Windsor, Ont. and Al McIntosh Holdings Inc. of Leamington, Ont. The winner is the second foal out of the Camluck mare Noshameinmygame. She was a Grassroots winner at both two and three. Thinkofagameplan has also raced against Grand Circuit two-year-old male pacers this year, finishing second in a division of the Champlain Stakes at Mohawk.
In the other Semifinal, post nine starter Supersonic Jet (Trevor Henry) blasted out for command and he got around favourite Moonwards Hanover (Paul MacDonell) at the :26.2 opening quarter. Moonwards Hanover then moved to the top, and he got to the half in :55.2 and to the three-quarters in 1:26.1.
MacDonell asked the public choice to pick it up at the top of the stretch, but he didn’t have it on this night, and that set up a wild scramble to the finish line that resulted in Rightinthekisser (Doug McNair), who had drawn into the race following the scratch of Bridge Of Stone, rallying from off–the-pace and splitting horses inside the final sixteenth to beat far outside challenger Big Moment (Randy Waples) by a head in 1:56. Twin B Scandal (Joe Hudon Jr.) nabbed third, The Fire Within (Jody Jamieson) got fourth and Half A Billion (Mike Saftic) snagged fifth.
Rightinthekisser, a colt by Major In Art, is trained by Mark Steacy for owners Annmari Daley of Lake Worth, Florida, James Crawford of Manilus, New York, and Michael White of Royal Palm Beach, Florida. Rightinthekisser, who was bred by Martinez Equine and was purchased for $12,000 at the 2013 Standardbred Horse Sale, broke his maiden in his eighth start and he has put away $24,160. Rightinthekisser is the 10th foal out of the Pacific Fella mare Pacific Kiss, which makes him a half-brother to the likes of Pacific Mariner (Astreos, $375,166), a one-time Grassroots winner in his racing career.
Trotting Males
El Diablo Hall (Keith Oliver) went all the way on the lead in the first Semifinal, hitting the opening quarter in :27.1, the half in :57, and the three-quarters in 1:26.4 on his way to a two length win over Call Me Richard (Paul MacDonell). The final time was 1:57.4. Numbers Game (Mario Baillargeon) got third ahead of Olympic Son (Trevor Henry) and Grandprix Seelster (Sylvain Filion).
Tony Montini trains the winner, a Windsong Espoir gelding, for owners Albina Montini of Acton, Ont., Paul Giammichele of Burlington, Ont., and Rick Podolinsky of Alvinston, Ont. Dale Hunter of London, Ont., who played for several years in the National Hockey League and was also head coach of the Washington Capitals, also co-owns El Diablo Hall, who has now won seven times (including a Grassroots success on August 16 at Georgian Downs) from nine tries and banked $40,500. He’s the third foal out of the Andover Image mare EL Mistress Chesea, meaning he’s a half-brother to multiple-time Grassroots winner Erin Hall.