Local breeding takes centre stage
The weekend of Champions is upon us
This is the time of year that local breeding takes centre stage and a locally-bred horse just made a major score in Central Canadian harness racing.
Island-owned-and-bred Lovedbythemasses captured the $75,000 Ontario Sires Stakes grassroots final last Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park in Ontario as the two-year-old trotting colt took control of the race before the half-mile marker and delivered as the heavy favourite in 1:55.4. Mike Saftic drove the rookie son of Muscle Mass for trainer Ed Peconi, who co-owns the colt with fellow Ontario resident Nicholas Peconi and Islander Wade Peconi of Stanchel. Wade Peconi bred the champion at his Stanchel farm along with breeder Windemere Farms of Hampshire.
A winner of five races and $88,125 in purses, Lovedbythemasses is out of the Northern Bailey mare Incredibility, who, herself, hailed from a family of champions with her brother, Buddy Hally, being an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold points leader in 2013 and sister, Paymenowpaymelater, reigning as Maritime champion in 2014 and 2015.
Local content on the big stage continues Saturday with the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Super finals at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Rose Run Vantage has Post 7 in the $225,000 two-year-old pacing filly final carded as Race 2 with Sylvain Filion driving for trainer Anthony Beaton, a Cape Breton native, and owners
Wayne MacRae of Fall River, N.S., and Daniel Ross of Belfast. The daughter of Big Jim will put her never-worse-than-third record to the test as she looks to add to her $121,191 in earnings this season.
Summerside native Dr. Ian Moore will send three of his trainees postward in Super Final action. Centurn Farroh is the favourite to win the $225,000 three-year-old colt final, riding a four-race win streak into the
class with Filion in the bike in Race 8. The Mach Three colt has recorded 12 wins from just 14 starts this year, including knocking off Grand Circuit competition in the $170,000 Jennas Beach Boy Stake at Hoosier Park in Indiana in his latest. Moore also has two entrants in the $225,000 two-year-old pacing colt Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final in Race 5 on Saturday evening's Woodbine Mohawk Park card with Denali Seelster (driven by Filion) and Tattoo Artist (Dexter Dunn).
P.E.I. SCENE
The Weekend Of Champions is upon us with the Atlantic Classic Yearling Sale set for Friday at 2 p.m. on the Crapaud Exhibition Grounds in Crapaud.
Saturday has a 13-dash program at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park with the Atlantic Breeders Crown consolation races while Saturday evening has the Atlantic Breeders Crown banquet at Red Shores Charlottetown.
The Atlantic Breeders Crown championship card is Sunday at 12:30 p.m., with the finals for the Atlantic Sires Stakes and invitational races for preferred pacers, open trotters and open pacing cares.