Cullen Keefe N and Adore Him may have done the lion's share of the work in Sunday's (July 26) featured $5,500 Preferred 3 Pace at Dresden Raceway, but Validus Deo ($3.30) was a willing beneficiary, riding the pocket to his third straight victory.

Marc St. Louis Jr. landed in the pocket with Validus Deo on the first turn, drafting behind Cullen Keefe N (Lorne House) through a :28.1 quarter and enjoying the garden seat all the more while Adore Him (Garrett Rooney) offered first-over pressure through middle splits of :57.4 and 1:26.4.

Off the home turn, St. Louis hooked Validus Deo three-wide, and the 10-year-old Lis Mara gelding lifted past the duelling leaders to win by a widening half length in 1:56.1. Adore Him was a gutsy second and Cullen Keefe N finished third.

Danielle St. Louis trains 45-time winner Validus Deo for Stewart McQueen and Meghan Riley.

Under Phase three of the re-opening of Ontario, harness racing fans hit capacity at Dresden Raceway.

Ontario will allow 100 people to attend an outdoor event as long as social distancing rules are followed and fans wear masks. Dresden Raceway allowed 50 fans in the grandstand parking lot and 50 fans in the backstretch parking lot. A waiting list was created as numbers quickly hit 50 in each parking lot.

Dresden also offered live betting to people who are not account holders with HPI, with tellers on both the grandstand side and the backstretch.

Marc St. Louis and Lorne House were the only things hotter than the thermometer as each scored four wins today.

St Louis visited the winner’s circle with Validus deo, Windemere Eddie, Regally Magnified and Donovan Z Tam while House took top prize with Bunkhouse Brawl, Onimpulse, Enchanted Mission and Muscles Aplenty.

The total handle Sunday was $24,620.

(with files from Dresden Raceway)

To view Sunday's full results, click the following link: Sunday Results – Dresden Raceway.