Trainer/driver Guy Gagnon won back-to-back top class events on Sunday evening (June 25) at Rideau Carleton Raceway with trotter Unabating ($3.90) and the repeating pacer Nobettorplacetobe ($3).
Both Gagnon trainees wired rivals in their respective $6,500-plus Winners Over Handicaps.
Unabating pocketed last week's winner and the slight favourite Raising Richard (Darrell Coville) early on then led the trotters through fractions of :28.2, :59.1 and 1:28.1 en route to a 1:57.2 victory over the 'good' track. Raising Richard followed one and a half length behind in second while Cabertoss (Brett MacDonald) finished six and a half lengths back in third after his first-over journey.
Catheline Pelletier owns the nine-year-old Broadway Hall gelding, who has won two of his last three starts at Rideau for Gagnon and 35 races lifetime.
Nobetterplacetobe left for the lead from post five and cruised through panels of :27.2, :56.4 and 1:24.4 on the way to a 1:54 victory in the pacing division. Bestofbest Hanover (Melanie Lourde) rallied off the cover of Solid Performance (Richard Simard) to defeat that foe in the race for place one length behind the winner.
A five-year-old son of Bettors Delight with 16 career wins to his credit, Nobetterplacetobe is perfect in two starts since being claimed for $15,000 by Ecuries Guy Gagnon Inc., Gestion Louis Latulippe Inc., and Gestion Bruno Blouin Inc.
Gagnon also drove Jefferson Tare ($5.50) to victory in the final race of the night for trainer/owner Pierre Leclerc.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway.