(Photo of Jody Jamieson courtesy of New Image Media)
After winning a pair of Grassroots divisions at Mohawk Racetrack on Thursday evening, driver Jody Jamieson topped that accomplishment by capturing three more divisions on Friday.
Picking up where their masculine peers left off, the three-year-old pacing fillies delivered seven impressive Grassroots performances on the Campbellville oval’s Friday evening program and Jamieson waved at fans from the winner’s circle following Races 5, 7 and 9.
The Moffat, ON resident started his win streak with lightly raced Forever Liza, guiding the filly to her first-ever Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) victory in a personal best 1:52.3. The Bettors Delight daughter drifted out widely in the stretch, but still hit the wire three-quarters of a length ahead of Selling The Dream and Kays Shadow.
“She has just been getting better and better with every start. Tonight she smelled the ribs and was going after them in the stretch, but she got to the wire first in spite of that,” quipped Jamieson, referring to the racks of ribs that were flying off the barbecue just beyond the rail the filly drifted toward.
Jamieson crafted the win for trainer Mark Steacy of Lansdowne, ON and owner Hudson Standardbred Stable Inc. of Hudson, QC. The filly — who has three full-siblings with $200,000-plus in earnings — now boasts a record of two wins and one second in five sophomore starts.
Jamieson’s second appearance in the winner’s circle came aboard “family horse” Noone To Depend On. Owned by his father, trainer Carl Jamieson of Rockwood, ON, and sister, Brandy Jamieson of Milton, ON, Noone To Depend On controlled the pace from start to finish, reaching the wire in a personal best 1:52.2. The fan favourite finished four and three-quarter lengths ahead of Miss Babe Delight and Windsongmagnifique.
“She really impressed me tonight. Usually she can’t cut the mile, but she just exploded tonight when I called on her and won very easily,” said the driver. “She should be one of the best Grassrooters.”
Noone To Depend On captured one Grassroots division last season and boasts a record of two wins and two seconds in eight sophomore starts to date. The Santanna Blue Chip miss boosted her lifetime earnings to $77,230 with Friday’s win.
Jamieson completed the driving hat trick in the sixth division with fan favourite Thisorthat Hanover, who also cruised to a four and three-quarter length win in 1:52.2. HP Sissy and Tempus Seelster rounded out the top three.
“Thisorthat can flat out fly,” said Jamieson. “She has had issues in the past, but Doc (Moore) seems to have her on the straight and narrow. She’ll likely go to the Gold now, and if she stays in this current form she’ll be heard from.”
A Gold Series winner at two, Thisorthat Hanover is trained by Dr. Ian Moore of Guelph, ON for Scott Horner of Toronto, ON. The Sportswriter daughter was a $110,000 purchase from the 2014 Harrisburg Yearling Sale and Friday’s victory pushed her career earnings just over her initial purchase price, to $111,900.
The final division was captured by another filly that is expected to make the leap back up to the Gold Series when it returns to Mohawk on July 9. Twin B Thong stepped out from behind cover in the stretch to score a two and three-quarter length victory over Twenty Three Red and Bad Lightning in 1:52.3 and trainer Casie Coleman is hoping the Sportswriter daughter has recovered the form that propelled her to second spot in the two-year-old pacing filly division last season.
“She trained back huge, but had a bunch of issues when she shipped home,” said Coleman. “We took some time off and got her back to herself tonight, finally.
“She’ll most likely go back to the Golds now, if she stays good,” added the Cambridge, ON resident, who shares ownership on the filly with West Wins Stable of Cambridge, Mac Nichol of Burlington, ON and Steve Calhoun of Chatham, ON.
The other three divisions went to Windsun Glory, Bourbon Seelster and Sports Expert.
Windsun Glory and driver Doug McNair captured the first division, slipping out of the pocket in the stretch and sprinting home to a two and three-quarter length victory in a personal best 1:52. Mattjestic Tempo and Heavenly Bet paced into second and third. The Guelph resident piloted the Mach Three daughter to her first-ever Ontario Sires Stakes victory for trainer Murray Brethour of Sunderland, ON, Windsun Farm Inc. of Uxbridge, ON, Kevin McKinlay of Holland Landing, ON and Jim Fielding of Toronto.
Bourbon Seelster took the second division, adding a sophomore Grassroots trophy to the three she earned last season. Driver Mike Saftic of Campbellville engineered the 1:52 victory over Jimmys Little Girl and Maxim Seelster on behalf of trainer Robert Manders and his partners Scott and Keith Manders of Watford, ON.
The fourth trophy went home with Sports Expert, who was also a three-time Grassroots winner last season. In rein to Billy Davis Jr. of Guelph, the Sportswriter daughter paced under the wire one and one-quarter lengths ahead of Buttermilk Hanover and Alphabet Queen in a personal best 1:52.2. Blake MacIntosh of Cambridge conditions Sports Expert for his partners Touch Stone Farms of Guelph and 30 Plus Stable of Trenton, ON.
The three-year-old pacing fillies will make their second Grassroots start on July 11 at Grand River Raceway. Next up on Mohawk Racetrack’s Ontario Sires Stakes schedule is the Gold Series opener for the three-year-old trotting colts on Monday, June 27.
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