July 8, 2024
By Ontario Sires Stakes Communications
CLINTON, Ont., July 7, 2024 – The Ontario Sires Stakes 50th Anniversary celebration tour rolled into Clinton Raceway Sunday, with a pair of $20,000 Grassroots races for three-year-old trotting fillies on Kin Pace Final day.
Birthday Money (Resolve) took the first Grassroot Series race of the afternoon with a 1:59.4 mile. Driven by Todd Ratchford for trainer Matt Bax, Birthday Money got out early to the rail and led the whole way with fractions of :28, :58.3 and 1:29.1 before finishing the job.
Owned and bred by Bax Stable (Campbellville, Ont.) and Marshall Bax (Hamilton, Ont.), this was Birthday Money’s second straight Grassroots victory, shooting her up to the top of the Grassroots Series leaderboard for three-year-old trotting fillies.
“She’s a tough little horse. She’s a home-bred and she’s just a nice horse to take to the track,” said Bax of Birthday Money. “She gives it 100 per cent every time she’s there and she’s pretty handy, which helps around Clinton. So, you get to the top at Clinton and usually you’re pretty tough to knock off. So, we’re pretty happy with her.”
Joining Birthday Money at the top of the three-year-old filly trotter Grassroots leaderboard is Mass Cara (Muscle Mass), who made her way up there after winning Sunday’s second Grassroots series race at Clinton.
Clocking in at a time of 1:59.2, the Trevor Henry-driven, Kyle Bossence-trained filly stayed back in third over the first half of the race, with fractions of :28.3 and :58.3, before making a move right before the three-quarter mark, reaching there in 1:28.3, to get just to the outside of leader Go Have Fun (Kadabra) and then pull away by 1-3/4 lengths to win down the final stretch.
“She’s a pretty handy filly, we were pretty confident coming here,” said Bossence. “We’re sticking with the Grassroots because she just wasn’t quite the Gold level, but she should be pretty dominant in here.”
The win was the second of the Grassroots season for Mass Cara in three OSS starts. The only time she didn’t see the winner’s circle, she finished second.
Mass Cara is owned by Frank Brundle (East Garafraxa, Ont.) and Bossence (Arthur, Ont.), and was bred by Kenneth Wiese and Kristina Anderson (Paisley, Ont.).
The historic $50,000 Kin Pace Final, for three-year-old pacing fillies, closed out the afternoon’s card Sunday with Greatest Pleasure (Bettors Delight) earning the victory for driver Louis-Philippe Roy, trainer Luc Blais, and owner and breeder Determination (Montreal, Que.).
In addition to the action on the track, Clinton Raceway fans were also treated to 50th Anniversary celebrations that included hat giveaways, historical displays, kids’ activity books and more.
The Ontario Sires Stakes 50th Anniversary tour next makes its way to Kawartha Downs on Friday, July 19.
Complete results from Sunday’s program are available here and replays can be viewed on the Clinton Raceway website.
FEATURED PHOTO: Birthday Money in the winner’s circle at Clinton Raceway on July 7, 2024 (Jessica Carnochan/Clinton Raceway)
IN-LINE PHOTO 1: Mass Cara in the winner’s circle at Clinton Raceway on July 7, 2024 (Jessica Carnochan/Clinton Raceway)
IN-LINE PHOTO 2: Driver Louis-Philippe Roy after winning the Kin Pace Final with Greatest Pleasure at Clinton Raceway on July 7, 2024 (Jessica Carnochan/Clinton Raceway)
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