Track record set in Grassroots

DRESDEN, ON – AUG. 2, 2021 – With three $20,000 Ontario Sire Stakes Grassroots and two $7,000 Prospect Series divisions slated for the Monday, Aug. 2 program, Dresden Raceway harness racing fans knew the three-year-old pacing colt track record would be in jeopardy and they did not have to wait long to see it fall.

With Post 4 in a field of five, driver Marc St. Louis wasted no time putting heavy favourite No Plan Intended on the front in the first $20,750 Grassroots division.

The Up The Credit son rolled through a :27.3 quarter, a :56.1 half and a 1:24.4 three-quarters, widening his lead at every station, before powering under the wire 16 and three-quarter lengths ahead of his peers in a track record 1:53.4. Dr Joe and Imabeachboy finished second and third.

The mile took two-fifths of a second off the previous 1:54.1 three-year-old pacing colt and all-age record set by Must Be Matt and Caviarandsoftmusic in Grassroots action in 2005.

“He’s never raced on a half before, that’s the first time. He’s never even trained on a half really, but I thought he’d get around all right. He seems to be pretty good gaited,” said trainer Carl Jamieson. “Either take him back or go to the front, it didn’t matter what you did with him, I thought he could win both ways.”

Puslinch resident Jamieson bred and owns No Plan Intended in partnership with Brian Paquet of Quebec, QC. A two-time winner in the Grassroots program at two, No Plan Intended now has two sophomore wins in the provincial program and sits second in the three-year-old pacing colt standings with 105 points.

“He’s a nice little horse,” said Jamieson, who trained the gelding’s sire Up The Credit to earnings of $1.3 million. “He’s the best Up The Credit I’ve had, the best and the fastest. And we  raised him to boot.”

No Plan Intended sits behind Proline in the point standings and that colt also picked up his second Grassroots win of the season at Dresden Raceway on Monday.

With the advantageous Post 1, driver Anthony Haughan also opted for a front-end tour of the half-mile oval with the fan favourite and Proline cruised home to a one and one-half length victory in 1:55.1. Flash Cube finished second and Mr Charisma was third.

“He was really straightforward, I really liked him. He was a little lazy on the front, and when the horses came to him he went,” said driver Anthony Haughan, who was making his first appearance in the colt’s race bike. “He’d been racing at Mohawk, I’m not sure if he’s raced on a half, probably not this year anyway, and he got around there really good. He just relaxed on the front and when the horses came he went. I never felt like I was threatened.”

Cambridge resident Haughan engineered the win for trainer Luc Blais of Campbellville, ON and owner Determination of Montreal, QC. With two wins and one second in Grassroots action the Sportswriter colt boasts a point total of 125 with two stops remaining on the sophomore pacing colt Grassroots circuit.

Harpers Hat Trick earned his first Grassroots victory in the other $21,100 division, also getting a front-end steer from driver Travis Henry. Comfortably in front through a :28.2 quarter, :59.2 half and 1:28 three-quarters, Harpers Hat Trick dug in down the stretch to keep a head in front of a hard-charging Last Bet and stop the teletimer at 1:56.1. Premier Nacho was well behind the leaders in third.

“I thought he had the most half-mile experience out of the whole race, so I didn’t have to be careful with him,” said Embro, ON resident Henry of the fan favourite. “He was in with nice horses, but I think the half-mile experience helped him the most in there.”

Although Harpers Hat Trick made his first appearance in the Grassroots winner’s circle on Monday, the Sportswriter son is no stranger to victory. He now has seven wins to his credit through 11 starts, with all seven wins coming on half-mile tracks.

Kristopher Haskell of Clinton trains Harpers Hat Trick and shares ownership of the colt with Grant Shelton of Goderich, ON.

Dresden Raceway regular Marc St. Louis piloted the winners of both Prospect Series divisions, employing front-end tactics with Big Teddy and a late-closing strategy with Pretty Boy Duke.

In the first $7,200 split Big Teddy rolled through quick fractions of :28, :57.2 and 1:26.1 before cruising home to a one and one-quarter length win in 1:56.4. Pocket-sitting Favaro Seelster was second and Dragon Teen was promoted to third when West Coast Kid was ruled to have caused him interference in the early going.

Tyler Nostadt of Maidstone, ON trains Big Teddy for Blueshoe Investments of Baltic, OH. Monday’s win was the Big Jim son’s second of the sophomore campaign.

Starting from the trailing Post 8, Pretty Boy Duke sat mid-pack through the second $7,300 Prospect Series division before sprinting down the stretch to a one-half length victory in 1:58.4. P L Oliver finished second and Kodiak Seelster was third.

St. Louis engineered the fan favourite’s fourth straight victory for trainer Lacey McCabe of Rockwood and owner-breeder Glenview Livestock Ltd. of Wallenstein, ON.

The three-year-old pacing colts will make their fourth Grassroots start at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Aug. 21, while the Prospect Series competitors head to Leamington Raceway on Aug. 15.

Complete results from Monday’s program are available here.

From the Ontario Sire Stakes