Field set for inaugural Forest City Pace

The $189,000(C) inaugural edition of the Forest City Pace is set for Saturday night at Western Fair Raceway and will find locally-owned To Helen Back leaving from the middle of the pack with Mike Saftic in the sulky.

 

Saftic, one of Canada’s leading drivers for many years, will make a rare appearance at the London, Ont. half-mile oval to steer To Helen Back who has not been driven by anyone else since November of 2007. A winner of over $80 million in his career, Saftic has guided To Helen Back to $322,555 in earnings already this season.

 

Owned by Anne and Mike Shunock of nearby Dorchester, where she is trained by John Pentland, To Helen Back has earned well over a million dollars in her career to date. Her victories this year include the $111,000 Ontario Masters final at Georgian Downs, an elimination of the prestigious Milton Stake at Mohawk (she finished second, by less than a length, in the final), an elimination of the Ellamony and mares open events on the tough Woodbine circuit.

 

It certainly won’t be a romp for the 6-year-old daughter of Astreos whose competition includes several of the top older pacing mares in North America. The field, from the rail out (note final driver changes to be made), will line up as follows:

 

 

1 A And Gs Confusion – Brad Forward

2 Southwind Madonna – Lyle MacArthur

3 Ladycino – Jody Jamieson

4 To Helen Back – Mike Saftic

5 Four Starzz Meliss – Jason Brewer

6 Keystone Mystique – Trevor Henry

7 Up Front Bethann – Doug McNair

8 Arts Diva-Brad Forward

 

Also featured on Saturday night’s card at Western Fair, which gets underway at 7:05 p.m., are five $24,000 divisions of the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Series for 3-year-old pacing colts in races one, four, five, eight and nine. This is the final Grassroots event for this division before the Semi Finals next week at Rideau Carleton.