Accident at London – Harnesslink

An accident in the third race at The Raceway at the Western Fair District on Wednesday (May 16) ended with the death of a harness racing horse.

Rosean Tea (All Bets Off) was racing in the pocket down the backstretch but broke stride and fell. Leavinwithasmile (Jason Ryan) and Pretty Missy May (Dale Spence) could not avoid the accident in a chain reaction. According to Standardbred Canada, The Raceway officials reported that Rosean Tea had to be euthanized. Borth and Spence were able to continue driving while Ryan had to book off his drives.

Rosean Tea was a three-year-old filly, owned by Erin Swainson Brickman of Sebringville. The filly won three of her 18 lifetime starts and earned $25,459. Peter Brickman trained her.

Major League N (Gotta Go Cullen) upset at 10-1 in the night’s Fillies and Mares Preferred Pace. She put up fractions of :28.2, :58.2, and 1:26.3 up front, rebuffing Saulsbrook Olympia (Ed Hensley) to score by two lengths in 1:55.2. Sweet Cheesus (Todd Ratchford) was third.

MAJOR LEAGUE N REPLAY

Major League N, a regular top-level mare, upped her career totals to 40 wins, 165 starts, and $389,135 in earnings with the victory. The Ashleigh Hensley-trained 11-year-old is now three-for-12 this year. Ed and Ashleigh Hensley of Dundas own the mare.

The Prospect Series, the third tier of the Ontario Sires Stakes program, began on the card. There were four total leg 1A splits, two for each sex of sophomore pacers. The winners were:

• First filly division: Ireland Seelster (Sportswriter, Jody Jamieson) by a half-length in 1:58. Trained by Carl Jamieson and co-owned by him with 1140545 Ontario Ltd. and Robert Edwards.
• Second filly division: Well Assessed (Sunshine Beach, Garrett Rooney) by a neck in 1:57.4, a new best. Her third win in eight career starts for trainer Robert McIntosh. Robert McIntosh Stables co-owns with Tyrone Valley Farm.
• First colt and gelding division: Honolulu Vacation (Betterthancheddar, Mike Whelan) by three-and-three-quarter lengths in 1:57.4. The colt’s maiden-breaking win for owner/trainer/breeder Cody Hawkins, who recorded his first victory since 2017.
• Second colt and gelding division: Bettors Rush (Bettors Delight, Travis Henry) by a neck in 1:58.2. Blake Macintosh trains the gelding, a three-time winner in 16 starts. He shares ownership with Hutt Racing Stable and Patrick Woods.

The Prospect Series will be contested over five rounds with A and B sub-legs. The three-year-old finals are set for Sep. 27 at Grand River and the freshman finals on Oct. 11 at London.

The program also featured the first leg of the City of London Series. The three- and four-year-old pacers began proceedings with a pair of divisions for each sex. The winners were:

• First male division: Cold Beer Calling (Hes Watching, Brett MacDonald) in 1:56.2 by a quarter-length for trainer Darryl Laver and owners Rick Rier and Leanne Davidson. Three-year-old gelding.
• Second male division: La Sun Control (Control The Moment, Colin Kelly) by a nose in 1:55 for trainer Rick Edwards, who co-owns the four-year-old gelding with Michael Tam.
• First female division: Sauble Lila (State Treasurer, Anthony Haughan, three-year-old) by three-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:56.1 for trainer Otis Hall and owners Sauble Hill Farms and Nasussito Racing.
• Second female division: Think Ahead (Thinking Out Loud, Rooney) by two-and-three-quarter lengths in 1:56.2. McIntosh trains and Robert McIntosh Stables owns the three-year-old.

The second pacing leg is set for May 22, followed by the $20,000A finals on May 31. The trotters start their series on May 17 with the second leg on May 24 and finals on May 31.

Racing continues at The Raceway at the Western Fair District on Friday, May 17 at 5:50 p.m. EDT. The 10-race card features the first leg of the City of London for trotters.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink