from the Ontario Sires Stakes

Campbellville, ON — Magical Steph wrapped up the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots regular season with a perfect record of four wins in four starts and heads into the semi-finals off an impressive 1:56.4 score at Mohawk Racetrack on Tuesday evening (Sept. 8).

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Magical Steph scored an impressive 1:56.4 victory to wrap up the Grassroots regular season at Mohawk Racetrack.

The 2-year-old trotting filly and driver Steve Byron lined up behind post four in the third Grassroots division and when the wings folded they went straight to the front. Rolling unchallenged through a :28 quarter and :58.4 half, the fan favorites shook off a challenge from Dayliner at the 1:28.1 three-quarters and sailed home to a 5-1/2 length win in a personal best 1:56.4. Pocket-sitter The Muscle Touch and challenger Dayliner finished second and third.

“I was surprised how strong she was going to the wire, to tell you the truth,” said Byron. “She did it on her own.”

Byron has driven Magical Steph in all but one of her seven starts, guiding her to Grassroots victories over Grand River Raceway’s half-mile oval on July 22, Georgian Downs’s five-eighths-mile oval on Aug. 8 and to a pair of wins over the seven-eighths-mile surface at Mohawk, the first coming on July 30 and the second on Tuesday evening. In addition to her quartet of Grassroots wins, the Kadabra daughter won her elimination and finished second in the final of the Balanced Image Trot at Hanover Raceway on Aug. 22 and 29, and finished fourth in the first Gold Leg at Georgian Downs on July 12.

“She’s been a nice filly all year long, that’s for sure,” said Byron, who drives Magical Steph for trainer Gary Lance and GL Racing Inc. “They tried her in the first Gold at Georgian and she finished fourth, but he decided — she’s a late foal and little on the small side — so he thought he’d go the Grassroots route. She’s been pretty push button all summer.”

With her four-for-four record, Magical Steph leads the division point race with 200 and will be among the fillies to beat in the Sept. 17 Grassroots semi-final. While her connections would prefer a favorable post, Byron has faith in the filly’s versatility. She has won races from posts seven, eight and nine, with Tuesday’s outing being the closest to the rail she has ever started in Ontario Sires Stakes action.

“Obviously I’d sooner have a good post, but you know, she’s pretty versatile,” noted Byron. “That’s the nice thing about her, she doesn’t have to race on the front and she can race off cover just as well, I think.

“She’s a pretty nice filly,” he added.

The other Grassroots winners at Mohawk on Tuesday evening were Tymal Tempest, Myretirementticket, Jangone and Traviata.

Tymal Tempest kicked things off in the first race, keeping a determined nose in front after a gritty trip in the outer lane. The Deweycheatumnhowe daughter and driver Phil Hudon stopped the teletimer at 1:59.2, holding off Tough Affair and She’s In Gear.

It was the first win of the season for Tymal Tempest, who logged one second, one fourth and one sixth in her other three Grassroots appearances. The win boosted the filly’s point total to 86 and moved her from 34th in the standings to 13th, causing trainer Erv Abdulov and owner Tymal Farms to add the Sept. 17 semi-finals to their calendar.

In the second division Myretirementticket moved one step closer to delivering on the promise of her name for trainer, owner and breeder Eli Wagler. First up on the outside for much of the mile, the Cornaro Dasolo filly accelerated down the stretch to a 2-1/2 length victory in a personal best 1:58. Majestic Presence and Windsongmusclelady finished second and third.

Trevor Henry engineered the win, Myretirementticket’s second in Grassroots action. In five appearances the filly posted two wins, one second, one fourth and one sixth for a total of 136 points and a share of fifth spot in the standings.

Jangone and trainer-driver Riina Rekila romped to a seven length win in the fourth division, recording a lifetime best 1:58.3. Herbe A Loral and Majestic Diva battled into second and third.

Rekila conditions the Johnny William filly for Overseas Farms Ltd. and guided Jangone to two wins, one second, one fourth, one seventh and one eighth in Grassroots action, accumulating 136 points. The filly heads into the semi-final tied for fifth with Myretirementticket.

Traviata captured the last Grassroots trophy of the evening with a late sprint that saw her get a head in front of fan favorite Powerful Glare at the wire. The battling leaders stopped the clock at 1:57.4, well ahead of third-place finisher Toss It Back.

Trevor Henry made his second appearance of the evening in the Grassroots winner’s circle, guiding Traviata to her second Grassroots win for trainer Richard “Nifty” Norman, Melvin Hartman and Enzed Racing Stable Inc. The Kadabra daughter wrapped up her season with two wins, one second and one seventh for 127 points and sole ownership of seventh in the division standings.

The 2-year-old trotting fillies will return to Mohawk Racetrack on Thursday (Sept. 17) — along with the 2-year-old trotting colts, pacing colts and pacing fillies — for their Grassroots semi-finals, with the top five finishers from each semi-final earning a return trip to the Campbellville oval for the Sept. 26 Grassroots championships.