Canadian Princess makes just her second start in the Ontario Sires Stakes program on Friday, lining up behind post four in the sixth division for trainer Ben Wallace and his partners Bradley Grant and Holland Racing Stable Inc.
“That’s perfect. If I was asked to choose, I’d have taken the four,” says Wallace. “I think Jody (Jamieson) can do whatever he needs to from there, and maybe we can get lucky.”
In rein to Jamieson, Canadian Princess made her Grassroots debut in the June 23 season opener at Flamboro Downs and finished third in the 1:58.3 mile. Since then the daughter of Angus Hall and Speedy Lobell has posted her first victory, a 1:58.4 score in a non-winners of one race contest at Georgian Downs on July 14, and Wallace is pleased with the filly’s development.
“She got off to a slow start. She wasn’t really mature,” explains the horseman. “I put the trotting hopples on her and since then she’s been flawless. I’m actually considering removing them because she’s gotten so smart and good gaited about it all.
“She’s had a good couple of months,” he adds.
Wallace started Canadian Princess just four times in the fall of her 2-year-old season before deciding the $50,000 yearling purchase needed more time to mature. Canadian Princess returned to the races in April and made five starts before Wallace opted for the trotting hopples. Since qualifying with hopples on June 9 Canadian Princess has recorded one win, two seconds and two thirds in six starts and earned C$18,640.
“She didn’t help us much as a 2-year-old, but she’s recouping some this year,” notes Wallace.
The trainer is hoping the half-sister to $800,271 winner Fast Photo will continue to develop this season and emerge from the Ontario Sires Stakes development program as a solid older racehorse.
“If I can keep her gaited, keep her smart and let her get stronger she’ll be around for more Grassroots,” says the trainer. “I’m just looking to develop a racehorse.”
Among the fillies that Canadian Princess and Jamieson face in their second Grassroots test are former Gold Series contenders Lexus Helios from post one and Twin B Sensation from post nine. The fillies will battle for the C$24,000 Grassroots purse in the tenth race.
Division leader Counter Pointe will sit on the sidelines for the third Grassroots event on the sophomore trotting filly calendar, so the door is open for fillies like Canadian Princess to accumulate a few more points toward the post season. Once the six regular season events are complete, the top 16 point earners will advance to two semifinals.
Canadian Princess earned 12 points with her third-place finish at Flamboro Downs and will be looking to add to that total on Friday. After just two regular season events, the current cut off for the top 16 is 50 points.
The 3-year-old trotting fillies will battle for Grassroots glory and points in races one, two, three, five, seven, 10 and 11 on Friday evening. The first C$24,000 Grassroots division will roll in behind the Mohawk Racetrack starting gate at 7:10 p.m.