History was made on Saturday (June 15) at Century Downs as Rockin Mystery established a new track standard in the inaugural $50,000 Shirley McClellan Breeders Stakes Final for three-year-old pacing fillies.
Driver David Kelly pointed post-time favourite Rockin Mystery to the front as the wings of the gate folded and played catch-me-if-you-can. After a :28.3 opening quarter, pocket-sitting Stash The Cookies (Mike Hennessy) right-lined and took a shot at the leader as second choice Lady Neigh Neigh (Brandon Campbell) started a move from third. Stash The Cookies made a speed break heading to the half but reset and resumed pressuring the leader past the :56.2 midway point.
Sensing that one might start to fade from that trip, Hottieonthehorizon (Kelly Hoerdt) went three-wide around that foe down the backside and faced off with Rockin Mystery through a 1:24.3 third quarter. Pocket-sitting Lady Neigh Neigh couldn't keep up with the front two turning for home, and in the stretch it became clear that no one was catching Rockin Mystery. The mile was timed in 1:53.1, a new lifetime mark for Rockin Mystery and a new track record for three-year-old pacing fillies.
The former track standard of 1:54 was co-held by No Mo Fo Joe and Scardy Cat.
Trained in Alberta by 2018 Rising Star Award winner Chris Lancaster for BC-based owners Rod Therres and Blair Miller, Rockin Mystery (Mystery Chase - Cant Stop Rockin) picked up her fourth win of the season from nine starts, and the lion's share of the purse lifts her earnings to $132,390.
Hoerdt just missed in the feature race of the day but dominated the undercard. On the 10-race card, Hoerdt won five as a driver and four as a trainer.
In the $9,000 Fillies & Mares Open to kick off the Saturday card, Cusdmagicdragon was a wire-to-wire wrapped up winner for Hoerdt, besting Big Shir (David Kelly) by a length in 1:54 with Scardy Cat (Brandon Campbell) prevailing in a three-horse photo for show.
Hoerdt co-owns Cusdmagicdragon (Custard The Dragon - Rockumentary) along with Blair & Erna Corbeil of Beaumont, Alta. The wins was the eighth of the year for the four-year-old pacing mare to lift her lifetime win total to 17 and boost purses to $257,692.
Hoerdt's other training wins came with Lollipop Yacht (1:58.3; $5.20) in the fourth race, Heartbeatnsizzle (2:00; $11.10) in the seventh and Three More Smiles (1:54.1; $3.50) in the eighth. His fifth driving win came courtesy Blink And Gone (1:56.2; $4.90) for trainer David Lamont in the sixth.
To view the charted results for Saturday's card of harness racing at Century, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.