by Karen Briggs, WEG media

Toronto, ON — Trotters take center stage on Thursday night (Feb. 19) at Woodbine, when the C$20,000 opening round of the General Brock series for 4-year-olds gets underway.

Four full fields of trotting talent will go behind the gate, including several emerging stars, like Andover’s Son, the 5-2 first choice in the lead-off for the series (race one, post time 7:30 p.m.). Sent out by trotting specialist Per Henriksen, Andover’s Son was a $100,000 yearling purchase and hasn’t yet made that price back but he’s working on it, with two firsts and two seconds in five starts in 2009, and lifetime earnings of $71,843. He was a disappointing fifth in the Don Mills final on February 9, but may be primed to rebound.

Quebec import Rockin To Do is one of the more interesting individuals in the second of the four General Brock tilts. A gelded son of Glory B River, Rockin To Do calls the Jonas Stutzman shedrow home now, and has shown flashes of talent so far this year, missing the winner’s circle but adding a second and two third-place finishes to his resume. He’ll be leaving from post seven in race three (post time 8:08 p.m.), with Sylvain Filion at the lines.

Then there’s Wildcat Shoes, who may be the one to watch in the third of the four splits (race four, post time 8:27 p.m.). He was second to Rockin To Do’s third in his last outing on the Woodbine oval, and has been steadily improving since he returned to racing in January after a five-month layoff. Tony O’Sullivan trains this son of Kadabra for Winbak Farm, who is rated 5-2 in the morning line.

In the final of the four divisions, distaff trotter Frenchfrysnvinegar takes on the boys for trainer/co-owner Dave Smith. This daughter of Angus Hall was impressive in both the Ontario Sired Autumn Series in December, and the Lifetime Dream Series in January, posting a win and two seconds. She’s coming off a win in a C$21,000 conditioned event on February 6, making her the 3-1 second choice in this dash.