Yet another thrilling weekend of live horse racing is shaping up for the fans of the sports, as the 2021 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots concludes on Saturday. The season’s end will be hosted at Milton’s Woodbine Mohawk Park on October 9, 2021. Saturday’s race card will feature eight divisional championship titles with over CA$480,000 in purses.
Fans of the sports from Ontario and the country as a whole will be able to enjoy a spectacular Saturday packed with world-class live horse racing. The races can be watched live at the track on a live stream provided by Woodbine Entertainment. Also, the exciting race card provides plenty of wagering opportunities for the ones who want to test their luck.
Ten Races Card
Portofino at PP3 enters the two-year-old trotting fillies Grassroots final on Saturday in a spectacular form. The filly qualified to the final after a 1:56.2 performance in her semi-final race. At race number 2 on the schedule, she will face competition from nine other fillies, including divisional points leader Moneyworth, who starts at PP7, and second semi-final winner Lovin Julie at PP9.
Sophomore pacing fillies will compete at the third race, with semi-final winner Saulsbrook Olympia starting at PP1 and Gaming Of Shadows at PP2. On Saturday, Saulsbrook Olympia will be racing for trainer Brian Lee, who has the most season wins in the race – six. The horse also has the fastest mark of 1:5.4s, tied with Cyclone Sister.
The fourth race on Saturday will feature two-year-old trotting colts and gelding. Archery Seelster, at PP5, was the divisional leader at the year’s end with a total of 108 points. The horse made a big claim for the final, as the Marcel Barrieau trainee recorded its lifetime best 1:56.1 score in his semi-final on September 30. The other semi-final winner Armstead Cole starts at PP10.
Stakes racing continues in the seventh race of the day, with 10 sophomore trotting fillies going head-to-head in the final starts of the Ontario Sire Stakes season. P L Opportunity at PP6 is the leader of the division, with five wins in her last six starts. She will compete against the semi-final winner Midnight Miracle at PP9.
The last race for the season is Race 10, with three-year-old pacing colts and geldings racing in the final. After participating in the 2021 Pepsi North America Cup, Jimmy Connor B returns to the Grassroots and starts at PP3 in the final. The Gregg McNair pupil will face opposition from the other semi-final winner Armor Seelster at PP4.
Another Mohawk Million Coming
This week, Woodbine Entertainment revealed that it has plans to host The Mohawk Million event again next year, as the company is delighted with this year’s results and interest in the race. The event hosted at Woodbine Mohawk Park this year was won by the undefeated trotting filly Venerable, and it took place on September 25, 2021. The company’s notion is to inform all breeders and buyers of its intentions, before the upcoming yearling sales.
The Queen’s Plate Betting Activity
At its other Ontario racing facility – Woodbine Racetrack, the company organized the 162nd edition of the prestigious The Queen’s Plate event. This year, the historic race was won by Safe Conduct and managed to record a significant betting volume. According, to the horse racing leader the race accumulated a wagering handle of CA$3.5 million, out of the total CA$16.1 million for that weekend.
Source: “Grassroots Finals Set For Saturday”, Standardbred Canada, October 6, 2021
