Ontario Sires Stakes kicks off on Juravinski Memorial night

DUNDAS, May 19, 2023 – The Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) season gets underway this weekend at Flamboro Downs with Prospect Series harness racing action on Saturday May 20 and Grassroots racing on the Sunday May 21, Charles Juravinski Memorial Cup card.

The four Grassroots divisions for three-year-old male trotters will go for a total of $87,800, beginning with a $22,200 division in race one. All Star Yankee (My MVP), Blake MacIntosh’s first of three starters drew post seven.

“If he behaves, he is probably the fastest of the three. He is a brother to Muscle Hill, so we have been high on him,” said MacIntosh. “He just doesn’t have the mental side figured out yet. But if we can get his mind straight, we should be okay.”

MacIntosh owns All Star Yankee in partnership with Hutt Racing Stable and Van Camp Trotting Corp who put over $23,000 on his card in the OSS last season. Sylvain Filion is slated to drive the colt for the first time.

Rough Tuff Tested (Muscle Mass), the runner up in last year’s Grassroots Final goes for MacIntosh in Race 5, another $22,200 division. The colt hit the board in two tries over a half-mile track last year in the Balanced Image Elimination and Final at Hanover Raceway.

“He will be just fine over a half,” said MacIntosh. “He trots pretty clean and pretty good. He’s a good horse, so I’m not worried about the half with him.”

James MacDonald will drive for MacIntosh and co-owners Van Camp Trotting Corp and Mortgage Boys Stable.

Airborne is MacIntosh’s third Grassroots starter in the $21,800 third race. The Frederick Clarke homebred broke his maiden earlier this year in the Ontario Sired Spring Series at Mohawk and picked up his biggest cheque to date with the winner’s share of the $18,000 purse.

“His last couple of starts he hasn’t been trotting as good in the straightaways,” said MacIntosh. “But he’s been trotting the turns good so the half will pick him back up. He’s got speed and talent. He just hasn’t been trotting as good as he was, so we’ve been working on it with him.”

In the final $21,800 Grassroots division Deadline Hall figures to play a factor.

Trained by Matt Bax he earned nearly $70,000 in the OSS last season with a Gold division runner-up and third-place finish in the Super Final. He broke his maiden on April 27 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Bax Stable owns the Muscle Mass gelding in partnership with Steve Organ and Rick Heinz.

PROSPECT SERIES PREVIEW

 Five Prospect Series divisions for three-year-olds are carded on Saturday with total purses of $43,400.

In race two, the lone division for male trotters, Impressive Dude (My MVP) comes in off a win at Flamboro Downs and is the morning line favourite at 8-5.

2022 Prospect Series Final winner Gimmie A Corona (Control the Moment) is in race 3, one of two divisions for three-year-old pacing fillies. She’ll face off against $20,000 earner Maple (Sportswriter) who morning line has tabbed as the 8-5 favourite.

Dewitt This Moment (Control The Moment), winner of an Ontario Sired Spring Series Leg headlines the other division in race 7. The filly is 1-0-2 in five starts this year with over $12,000 in earnings.

Two divisions will go postward for male pacers in races four and eight. In race four Artspeak gelding It Takes Two is the 5-2 morning line favourite. He has three wins this season at The Raceway at the Western Fair District.

Race eight, the final Prospect Series dash of the night features Scribblers who put close to $40,000 on his card last season thanks to a win and runner-up in the Ontario Sired Harvest Series at Woodbine Mohawk Park in the fall.

CHARLES JURAVINSKI MEMORIAL CUP ONTARIO ANGLE

 There are two Ontario Sired entrants in the feature race on Saturday night. The $262,000 engagement for four-year-olds and up is named after Flamboro Downs former owner and locally renowned philanthropist Charles Juravinski.

Cold Creek Queso (Betterthancheddar) a runner-up in his elimination, and earlier this spring won two $25,000 Legs and the $84,000 Final of the Ontario Sired Graduate Series.

Trained by Murray Brethour the gelding has continued to improve over his career.

He was a Grassroots Champion at two, OSS Super Final winner at three, and has shown impressive speed at four, when he paced home in :25 flat in his April 15 seasonal debut in the Graduate Series.

The Cold Creek Standardbreds homebred will leave from post seven with regular driver Sylvain Filion in the bike.

One post to his outside is the other Ontario Sired competitor Camara Moment (Control the Moment). Richard Moreau trains the gelding who also finished second in his elimination.

Owned by Mickey Sudar, Brenton Harris, James Borke, and Dewitt Stables he’s had a big 2023 thus far.

He has over $130,000 on his card from 14 starts, thanks to an Ontario Sired Graduate series Leg win and a sweep of the Snowshoe series. Doug McNair will pilot him.

For complete Saturday race entries, click here.

For complete Sunday race entries, click here.

From Ontario Racing