Confederation Cup champion If I Can Dream, with Jimmy Morrill, Jr. in the bike, took the lead just before the quarter and never looked back thereafter in capturing the $108,300 Cane Pace elimination Saturday at Freehold Raceway
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Arctic Warrior, a $35,000 supplemental entry and 6-5 favourite finished second, a length behind with Yannick Gingras steering and it was another 3-1/4 lengths more back to Hail Storm, who grabbed third with Andy Miller up.
In winning, If I Can Dream became harness racing’s newest millionaire by adding $64,980 to his bankroll while bolstering his lifetime earnings to $1,013,013.
The other three finishers to make into Labour Day’s $325,000 Cane Pace final, first leg in pacing triple crown were Western Posse, Clear Vision and Johnny Z. Mr Wiggles and Vintage Master drew byes by virtue of this seasons money earnings and will compete in the field of eight three-year-olds.
The winner, a son of Western Hanover out of the Artsplace mare, Arterra, tripped the teletimer in a sharp 1:51.4 while paying $5.00 to win and starting an exacta of $12.20 and a trifecta worth $64.40.
Live racing resumes Wednesday with a post time of 12:30 p.m.
Dingle Bay Coasts In NJSS Final
Dingle Bay raced and won like a 3-5 favourite, capturing the $100,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Premier Division Championship for three-year-old pacing fillies by two and three-quarter lengths on Saturday, August 29 at Freehold Raceway
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Driver Yannick Gingras put the McArdle filly on the lead, briefly relinquished it but retook the front before the quarter and drew off in the stretch for the victory in 1:53.3 on a sloppy track, timed only two ticks off the stakes record.
It was Dingle Bay’s [$3.40, $2.40, $2.10] second straight win, fourth in the five starts since she entered the barn of trainer Ron Burke.
JKMusicofthenite [$6.80, $3.60] edged out Twist N Clout [$2.40] for second. Both are daughters of Western Ideal.
Dingle Bay, who is out of the Beach Towel mare Nantucket Beach, has five wins this year, 10 of 21 in-the-money, toward a lifetime record of six wins, four seconds and one third in 28 tries.
The bay filly has banked $80,700 of her $136,144 career total since she was acquired from breeder/owner/trainer Chris Ryder on July 23, 2009.
She currently races in the name of Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown; Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg; Louis E. Starr Jr. of Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania; and JJK Stables LLC of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
(With files from Freehold Raceway & NJSS)