Pacers contested over $380,000 in purses on a windy Civic Holiday (August 7) card at Century Downs, with Da Magician and Yoga Pants proving best in the Mid-Summer Classic Day co-featured events for three-year-olds, the Ralph Klein Memorial and the Lady Luck.
Da Magician Survives Objections, Wins Ralph Klein
Da Magician ($3.70) survived two post-race claims of foul and lived up to odds-on billing in the $152,410 Ralph Klein Memorial for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
The open-length winner of the Brad Gunn Breeders’ Stake on Canada Day was widest of four leavers from the gate, and was parked the entirety of the first turn before clearing well after Mateo (Jim Marino) clicked off a :27.1 first quarter. Mateo yielded to the pocket with a circuit to go, but Da Magician would not relinquish the pacesetting duties, controlling middle splits of :56 and 1:25.4 before facing a second challenge from Mateo at head-stretch. Trainer-driver Serge Masse called upon Da Magician for all he had through the stretch, and the son of Dragon Again prevailed by half a length in 1:55.
Da Magician (5) holds off Mateo (3) in the 2017 Ralph Klein
Marino claimed foul against Da Magician, citing interference in the stretch, and Kelly Hoerdt, driver of third-place finisher American Dreamer likewise claimed foul, citing interference on the first turn, but both objections were disallowed by the stewards.
“We got in close, but I didn’t touch him,” commented Masse, who also owns 11-time winner Da Magician. “He’s a small, little horse with a super nice, easy gait. The heart and the set of lungs on him is unbelievable.”
Yoga Pants Wires Lady Luck Rivals
Yoga Pants ($3.40) kept her undefeated three-year-old season intact in the $129,080 Lady Luck final, wiring eight other three-year-old pacing fillies in a track record 1:54.1.
The daughter of Sportswriter protected position at the pegs from the outset, forcing Cardinal Rule (Philip Giesbrecht) into the pocket en route to the first turn. The two travelled one-two through splits of :28, :56.1, and 1:25.1, with Yoga Pants withstanding stern wind while dictating the terms throughout. After Wedding Dance (Serge Masse) weakened after a brief first-over bid from third, Cardinal Rule was able to angle from the pocket at the eighth pole, but Yoga Pants maintained a one-length lead throughout while hand-driven to the winning post.
Trainer-driver Jim Marino’s J J J Stables owns the 10-time winner, who also captured the $75,000 Penny Bath Memorial at Fraser Downs in April.
“She’s a really nice filly; I’m just a passenger,” commented Marino following the race. “She trained down like a nice filly, and when I started qualifying her and in her first couple starts, she showed there was no end to her mile.”
Emerald Filly, Century Bets Stakes Highlight Undercard
Two-year-old pacers were prominent throughout the undercard, with two $25,000 Emerald Filly Stake splits for fillies and a trio of $16,667 Century Bets Stake divisions for colts and geldings comprising the first half of the 10-race program.
Pez Dispenser ($8.20) was the faster of the two victorious freshman fillies, using a steady first-over ascent from mid-division to wear down pacesetter Paperback Thriller (Mike Hennessy) and edge away by a length to break maiden in her second career start. Owner J. F. Gagne drove the daughter of Big Jim and Camifosolasi Do to a 1:57.4 victory for trainer Marjorie Dumont.
The other split went to Maid In Alberta ($12.10), who pushed to the fore up the backstretch to overtake Noisy Nora (Marino) and subsequently parry a stand-side challenge from You Talk Too Much (Keith Clark) by a scant nose, breaking maiden in 1:58.1. Serge Masse was aboard the daughter of Vertical Horizon and Exquisite Alberta for trainer Harold Haining and owner Donald Richardson.
In the Century Bets Stake, first-time starter Boiling Oar ($9.00) proved fastest of 20 colts and geldings, taking his division from well off the pace in 1:56.1. Owner-trainer-driver Jim Marino located a seam to vacate the pegs coming off the far turn, and he angled the gelded son of Shadow Plan and Arm In Arm three-wide in the stretch to collar Outlaw True Grit (William Tanish, Jr.) and Screen Test (Brandon Campbell) in the final strides. Paradise Hill ($22.60, Hennessy, 1:56.3) and Gonna Funku Up ($28.60, Giesbrecht, 1:59.1) upset even-money or shorter favourites to take the other two divisions.
To view Monday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Monday Results – Century Downs.