Local father-son duo Gregg and Doug McNair captured their third Battle of Waterloo victory during the 25th anniversary edition of Grand River Raceway’s Industry Day on Aug. 3.
The Guelph-Eramosa residents won the race in 2008 with Trail Boss and again in 2013 with Three Of Clubs.
A winner in his elimination division one week ago, Magnum J went off at odds of 3-1 leaving from post seven in the $227,397 final.
Doug McNair, 25, guided the two-year-old pacer straight to the front of the nine-horse field and never looked back, maintaining the lead in the stretch against a fast-closing Stonebridge Beach with driver Stephane Pouliot. Magnum J finished with a half-length lead in 1:55.3.
Gregg McNair purchased Magnum J for $10,000 from last year’s Forest City Yearling Sale for co-owners Tony Lawrence and William Brown. The black gelding’s share of the 18th annual Battle of Waterloo brings his career bankroll to $126,799.
The McNairs also nailed back-to-back wins in races two and three of the 11-race card.
Solar Sister was the betting favourite heading into the first of two $105,000 Gold Series divisions of the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS).
Doug McNair dominated gate-to-wire, scoring the sophomore pacing filly’s sixth win from nine season starts. The victory pushes her career bankroll to $540,190 for owners David Willmot and Clay Harland Horner. The 1:53.2 clocking set a new Canadian season’s record and was just one-fifth of a second off the track record.
Team McNair was back to the winner’s circle in the next dash for the Battle of the Belles consolation. Stonebridge Pearl was sixth in last week’s elimination division but scored handily in the $15,000 contest. The Mach Three filly’s maiden win clocked in at 1:57.3 for Gregg McNair who co-owns with Terry and Jake Davidson.
In the Battle of Belles final, trainer David Menary and driver Jody Jamieson teamed up for their second stakes win. The pair won the 2012 edition with Macharoundtheclock. This year’s $141,246 final was all Free Show as she scored her second career win after last week’s victory in the eliminations. Jamieson finished a length ahead in 1:56.3 for Hutt Racing Stable, who paid just $14,000 for the Badlands Hanover filly as a yearling. She has now earned $110,623 in five career starts.
The second OSS Gold Series division of the day was won by Ms Mac N Cheese.
Driver Sylvain Filion fired the Badlands Hanover filly up the passing lane to win by a length over Sports Chic in 1:55.3. Richard Moreau trains Ms Mac N Cheese for David Ratchford. This is her fifth win in eight season starts.
On the lighter side, driver James MacDonald stole the half-time show with an incredible repeat performance in the Industry Day drivers’ edition of the “Bouncy Pony Stakes.” The Guelph reinsman has now won the event in five consecutive years. Fellow drivers Ryan Holliday, Tyler Moore and Travis Henry put up a good fight, but simply could not stack up against the unstoppable MacDonald. “Everyone’s got their thing,” said MacDonald in a post-race interview. “Gretzky had hockey and I’ve got the bounce.”
A crowd of approximately 5,000 people wagered $93,110 on-track. The total handle was $312,548.
