Giddy Up Lucky lowers OSS mark with 1:51.3 triumph

Flamboro Downs fans were treated to an evening of exceptional performances by the province’s top three-year-old pacing colts on Friday, capped off by an Ontario Sires Stakes record for Giddy Up Lucky.

Giddy Up Lucky started from the trailing Post 9 in his Ontario Sires Stakes debut, and found himself sitting fifth as fan favourite Believeinbruiser took the field to a brisk :26 opening quarter. Driver Paul Mackenzie tipped the colt out behind The Life Boat heading to the :53.4 half, but when that colt failed to make a dent in Believeinbruiser’s six length lead, Mackenzie sent Giddy Up Lucky out three-wide.

That confident move saw Giddy Up Lucky take control before the 1:22.2 three-quarters, and once he had clear sailing the Camluck colt simply accelerated away from the field to a ninth length victory in an Ontario Sires Stakes record 1:51.3. Early leader Believeinbruiser dug in hard in the stretch to hold on to second, fending off The Life Boat by three-quarters of a length.

Giddy Up Lucky’s mile eclipsed the former three-year-old pacing colt OSS record, shared by Banana Joes Bar (2006), Famous Seelster (2003), and Pacific Titan (2002), by three-fifths of a second.

The win was the colt’s first this season, but came as no surprise to fans who watched him lay down solid fifth-place efforts in the elimination and final of the Canadian Breeders Championship at Mohawk Racetrack in the last two weeks. Jean Louis Arsenault trains the young pacer for David Shea of Campbellville and Reg Petitpas of Shediac Bridge, NB, a member of the group that owns sophomore pacing colt phenom Somebeachsomewhere.

The second fastest mile of the nine Grassroots divisions came from Amillionpennies, who cruised along on the front end to a 1:53 triumph over Legal Litigator and Round About Fame in the second race. Anthony Haughan engineered the one and one-quarter length victory for trainer Neil Spencer and owner Lois Gray of Caledonia.

Amillionpennies now has eight victories, three seconds and two thirds to his credit through 16 starts. Friday’s victory moved the son of Million Dollar Cam and Gimme A Penny into a tie for sixth in the race toward a berth in the Grassroots post season. The colt also has 17 Gold Series points to his credit after a successful foray into the Ontario Sires Stakes program’s upper echelons in June.

Excel Nine took a commanding lead in the point race with a gate-to-wire victory in the fourth $20,000 Grassroots division. Through three Grassroots appearances the Astreos colt and regular reinsman Aaron Byron boast a flawless record of three victories.

Thursday’s 1:54.1 victory marked a personal best for Excel Nine, who is trained by Kevin Crowe for the Crowe Stable Inc. of Cookstown. Plumb Duff and fan favourite Grinning Breed trailed the colt across the wire in second and third.

Flamboro Downs fans were treated to a heart-pounding finish in the third race as three colts hit the wire within one-quarter length of each other. After leading the field through fractions of :26.2, :55.1 and 1:24.2, Go Smarty Brand had to settle for the third-place finisher’s share of the purse when both Star Reward and Auctioneer reeled him in through the stretch.

Paul Taylor trains Star Reward, and Trevor Henry drives the son of Mach Three, for Glenview Livestock Ltd. of Wallenstein. Through two Grassroots starts the colt now boasts a total of 75 points, tied for sixth spot in the standings with Amillionpennies and two other colts.

The other Grassroots trophies were captured by Just A Suggestion in 1:54; Keystone Debonair in 1:53.1; Richlyn Hugh in 1:55.3; Keep In Control in 1:55.1; and Best Night in 1:56.2.

The three-year-old pacing colts step up to the plate for their fourth Grassroots event on Aug. 16 at Hanover Raceway, while Flamboro Downs fans are gearing up for two weeks of exceptional Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series action, beginning on Friday, Aug. 8 with the talented three-year-old trotting colts. (OSS)

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