by Greg Gangle, WEG Communications

Campbellville, ON — Grand Circuit racing continues on Monday evening (July 1) at Mohawk as the Miss Versatilty returns to the Campbellville oval featuring North America’s top older trotting mares.

Ontario Sires Stakes graduate Smarty Pants will face off in the first of two divisions for driver Scott Zeron and trainer Per Henriksen. The daughter of Kadabra is fresh off a fifth-place finish in the Armbro Flight final on June 15 at the Campbellville oval.

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Smarty Pants has banked $343,853 in her career.

“She raced very well in the Armbro Flight,” Henriksen said. “She’s just a 4-year-old old taking on older and more experienced horses. I think next year will be her year because she will be that much older.”

The bay hasn’t been on top of her game so far this season, being winless from 10 starts, but that’s something Henriksen is accustomed to with Smarty Pants.

“She has a history of blooming late in the year and needs time,” he said. “She did it as a 2-year-old, then again last season when she won the (OSS) Super Final. Some horses just need a few starts to find their game, but she appears to need more time than most.”

The Norwood resident purchased Smarty Pants as a yearling in 2010 at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale with partners Dr. Brett Anderson, Stan Klemencic and Henriksen’s Asa Farm. The connections have celebrated six career wins with Smarty Pants along with $343,853 in career earnings. Last season alone, Smarty Pants banked $304,537 with a 4-5-3 record from 19 starts.

“I really think we haven’t seen the best of her,” Henriksen said. “She’s got a lot of class to her and really enjoys her work. She’s very versatile. She really gets off the gate if she needs to or she can come from behind, or both.”

Henriksen, a native of Norway, has elected to race Smarty Pants on both sides of the border this season.

“She’ll travel around for the Miss Versatility series and she has a few other races for mares. We’ll play it week-to-week with her. She’s a good sized mare with a terrific gait and if history repeats itself, she’ll be due to go a big mile very soon.”

Two C$30,000 divisions will take place on Monday evening and will line up as follows:

Race 2
1. Bax Of Life
2. One More Ginny
3. Beatgoeson Hanover
4. Daylon Miracle
5. Maven
6. Smarty Pants

Race 11
1. Dorsay
2. Real Babe
3. Personal Style
4. China Pearls
5. Cedar Dove
6. Pembroke Heat Wave
7. Intense America