OTTAWA, June 21, 2024 – The 50th Anniversary celebration of the Ontario Sires Stakes will make its way to Rideau Carleton Raceway Sunday, highlighted by a pair of OSS Gold Series races for three-year-old pacing colts and fillies.
With $140,000 on the line in each race, the colts will go in Race 6, while the fillies go in Race 8 as part of Sunday’s 10-race card.
The field for Race 6 is highlighted by Unrivaled Hanover (Bettors Delight), who will be driven by Jonathan Drury Sunday, is trained by Shawn Steacy and was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms (Hanover, Pa.).
Unrivaled Hanover is owned by Bertrand Gilhespy Stable (Lake Country, B.C.), Hudson Standrdbrd Stb Inc. (Hudson, Que.), and a few owners based out of Eastern Ontario in David Reid (Sydenham, Ont.) and Landmark 16 Racing Stable (Lansdowne, Ont.).
“I’ve always liked [Unrivaled Hanover],” said Mark Steacy, a three-time Johnston Cup winner as the top trainer in the Ontario Sires Stakes before handing the racing operation over to son Shawn. “When we bought him I thought he was a nice looking yearling, his pedigree was decent.
“He was always a good feeling horse, good gaited horse … and I think in the [OSS Gold Series], with Nijinsky not being there Sunday, and Funtime Bayama, I think he belongs.”
Nijinsky (Bettors Delight) was the winner of the $1 million 2024 Pepsi North America Cup and Funtime Bayama (Hes Watching) finished third in that race. Neither will be in attendance Sunday, opening the door for Unrivaled Hanover and others to cash the big prize.
Additional horses to look out for in Race 6 include Storm Shadow (Bettors Delight) and Trophy Taker (All Bets Off). Storm Shadow was a Pepsi North America Cup participant, while Trophy Taker has already won an OSS Gold event.
Another horse to look out for is morning odds 12-1 longshot Brudon (McWicked).
Bred by Jeffrey Moore (Courtright, Ont.) and owned by Bruce Davy (Brockville, Ont.), Brudon could give a welcome surprise to his driver Brett MacDonald if he’s able to grasp his potential, according to his trainer Rodney Hughes.
“He’s a very high-speed horse. He’s fast and seems to be able to carry it a long way. We just haven’t seen the results yet on paper,” Hughes said of Brudon. “From what he’s showing me, he’s just like a big kid. Like an athlete that just won’t give you 100 per cent all of the time. It’s there, but he just sometimes has his own thoughts on how it should go.”
Race 8, features a field highlighted by Pass Line (All Bets Off) and Odds On Platinum (Bettors Delight) leading the morning odds at 2-1 and 9-5, respectively.
And with 6-1 morning odds, and starting from Post 3, Betterwithglasses is the local horse to look out for in this race.
Bred by Winbak Farm (Chesapeake City, Md.) and owned by 10462217 Canada Inc (Gloucester, Ont.), Michael Horwood (Tecumseh, Ont.), Lloyd Stone (Portland, Ont.) and Victor Puddy (Mountain, Ont.), Betterwithglasses features an ownership group that’s based mostly around or close to the Ottawa area.
Puddy, whose Mountain, Ont., home is just 25 minutes from Rideau Carleton Raceway, trains Betterwithglasses in addition to being one of her owners.
“She’s got a beautiful size, is well put together and has a great gait,” said Puddy of Betterwithglasses. “She’s got a great attitude and just a nice horse.”
Tevor Henry will be in the sulky behind Betterwithglasses Sunday.
As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration, fans coming down to enjoy the races will also be able to win prizes via giveaways, there will be activity books for the young ones and take in a timeline illustrating the 50-year history of the OSS.
In advance of Sunday’s celebration, noted Canadian harness racing writer and historian Robert Smith wrote a brief history of Rideau Carleton Raceway that you can read here.
Post time for the first race of the evening Sunday at Rideau Carleton goes at 6:30 p.m. Click here to get a copy of the program with information on entries and wagering advice. If you’re unable to attend in person, please visit the Rideau Carleton website for streaming information. You will be able to make a wager via HPIBet.
FEATURED IMAGE: Via Rideau Carleton Raceway
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