from the Ontario Sires Stakes

Campbellville, ON — Three $62,300 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series events for 2-year-old male trotters were staged on Tuesday night (Sept. 30) at Mohawk Racetrack. Heavy fog rolled in throughout the card, leaving those watching with a clear view of only the first division.

That opening split was won by 6-1 shot Rise Up Rise Up (Mike Saftic), who came out of the pocket inside the final eighth and wore down leader and public choice Infiniti As (Billy Davis Jr.) to win by a half-length in 1:57.1. Gronk (Jody Jamieson) came on in the lane to collect third.

This was the first win in five tries for Rise Up Rise Up, a gelded son of Holiday Road. Now an earner of $42,133, Rise Up Rise Up is trained by Sue Marie Gangell for the ownership group of Tony Di Matteo, Mark Searles, and 648885 Ontario Limited. Rise Up Rise Up, who was bred by Dr. Robert Boyce and Joan Boyce, is the 11th foal out of the Super Pleasure mare Dixieland Jazz, making him a half-brother to half a dozen six-figure earners, including former OSS Grassroots Championship winner Lexus Lulu.

By the time the second Gold Series flight went behind the gate visibility was limited. A Little More Love (Randy Waples) led the field into the first turn and to the :28.3 opening quarter, but when the field emerged out of the fog inside the final eighth, 11-1 shot Alacrity (Eddie Green) was on the lead, and he would go on to win by just over a length in 1:57.4. A Little More Love was second and Caulfield (Chris Christoforou) came in third.

Green also trains Alacrity, a gelding by Pilgrims Taj, for owner Kristine Green. Alacrity, a Gold Series winner on August 5 at Mohawk, scored his second win from six attempts, and he has now pocketed $124,390. Alacrity, who was bred by Wilbur Lang and sold for C$30,000 at the 2013 Canadian Yearling Sale, is the fifth foal out of the San Pellegrino mare Elena ($338,071). Elena won three times during her OSS career, including two Gold finals.

Fractions of :28.2, :57.4, and 1:27 went on the board in the last Gold Series dash, and when the 2-year-old male trotters came out of the soup in deep stretch, public choice Dont Rush (Chris Christoforou) was open lengths in front of his nearest rival in a 1:57.3 performance. Luck O The Irish (Tom Durand) was the runner-up and Nightontheroad (Jody Jamieson) nabbed third.

Trainer Dustin Jones also bred and now co-owns Dont Rush, an Infinitif colt, with partner Greg Judsono. Dont Rush, who also won in Gold Series action on July 13 at Georgian Downs and on Sept. 30 at Flamboro Downs, is now three-for-10 in the win column with earnings of $156,764. He’s the sixth foal out of the Muscles Yankee mare Color Me Pretty, a half-sister to the likes of Best Image (Balanced Image, $92,427), who was three-for-three during her OSS career.

This concluded the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series regular season for 2-year-old colt and gelding trotters. They do have one provincial event remaining on their calendar — the Super Final on Oct. 11 at Mohawk Racetrack. Full charts and results from the foggy Tuesday night at Mohawk will be available here.