Local trainer Kendall Rahn will make her debut on the provincial stakes circuit this Sunday, June 27 when Clinton Raceway hosts the 2021 Prospect Series opener for three-year-old pacing colts and a trio of Kin Pace eliminations for the three-year-old pacing fillies.
After launching her career as a licensed Standardbred trainer earlier this spring, Rahn will get her first stakes start with sophomore pacing filly Brydown Better Bea in the first Kin Pace elimination (Race 5) and her second with pacing gelding Brydown Royal Art in the first Prospect Series division (Race 6). Both horses head into their respective events off one qualifier and one race at Grand River Raceway and both will start from Post 5 on Sunday.
After a 1:58.2 effort in his June 9 qualifier, Brydown Royal Art toured the Grand River half-mile in 1:57.4 on June 18 and Rahn is hoping the son of Royal Mattjesty continues his steady improvement in the Prospect Series opener.
“So far he’s been great. He trained down really well, and I was really happy with how he raced last Friday in his first start, so I am keen to see how he does on Sunday,” said the Clinton resident. “He’s definitely matured physically and mentally. He’s growing up into a nice horse I think.”
Brydown Royal Art raced five times as a two-year-old, logging two seconds and one third-place finish, but Sunday’s race will be the gelding’s first over his hometown oval and Rahn is hoping the youngster likes competing over the Clinton half-mile as much as he enjoys his daily jogging and training miles.
“He seems to like it here, so hopefully he likes to race here too. We’ll find out,” said the trainer, who will entrust driver Nick Boyd with both Brydown Royal Art and Brydown Better Bea.
Like her stablemate, Brydown Better Bea qualified June 9 at Grand River Raceway before finishing second in her sophomore racing debut on June 21. Unlike Brydown Royal Art, the filly has race-day experience over her hometown oval, finishing fifth in an Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots event at Clinton Raceway last summer.
“I’m excited to see what she’s going to do, because she definitely seems to really want to be a racehorse,” said Rahn of the Betterthancheddar daughter. “She seems to really love it, so I am hoping she can do well.”
Both horses were bred and raised by Rahn’s parents, Bryan Durst and Mary Grace Ashdown Durst, at their Brydown Farms in Clinton and the trainer said getting her first stakes starts with a pair of homebreds will make the milestone even more memorable.
“It’s exciting,” admitted the trainer. “You see them from being a wee baby to now all of a sudden they’re a racehorse. It’s pretty cool.”
The top two finishers from each Kin Pace elimination, plus two third-place finishers selected by random draw, will advance to the July 4 Kin Pace Final at Clinton Raceway. The Prospect Series competitors will be vying for points toward a berth in the season ending final. The top nine point earners through five regular season Prospect Series legs will compete for the championship title on Sept. 24 at Grand River Raceway.
Reigning pacing colt champion Sauble Attack will begin defense of the title he earned last fall in the second Prospect Series division (Race 12), lining up at Post 4 with Anthony Haughan in the race bike. The Bettors Delight son heads into Sunday’s test with three sophomore starts under his belt, the most recent a 1:56 clocking to finish third at Grand River Raceway on June 18.
“He’s been good this year. His starts so far this year have been good. He’s had bad posts and the trips haven’t always worked out, but he’s been racing good,” said Otis Hall, who trains the gelding for his Nasussito Racing Inc. of Ayr and his parents’ Sauble Hill Farms of Tara, ON.
“And Clinton’s a good spot for the opener. Clinton on a Sunday afternoon is always a great spot to race.”
Clinton Raceway’s first race goes in behind the starting gate at 1:30 pm on Sunday, with the Prospect Series divisions slated for Races 6 and 12 and the Kin Pace Eliminations going postward in Races 5, 8 and 10. Complete entries are available here and until restrictions on attendance are lifted fans can download a program and watch all the action on the Clinton Raceway website.
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