Cape Breton welcomed live harness racing for the first time this year as Northside Downs kicked off its 2021 meet on Saturday (June 19).

The featured race of the nine-dash card was the $1,500 Winners Over Pace, with four of the six entrants sporting multiple wins in this class last season.

Favoured Southwind Ricardo (Gerard Kennedy) was quickest off the car ahead of rail sitter Accelerator (Greg Sparling) in 28.2. The half was reached in a solid :58.4, with no pressure on the pacesetter.

Heading down the backside, Accelerator pulled pocket with Sparling perhaps sensing a weakening leader and advancing backfield. As the field passed the third station, Southwind Ricardo held a half-length advantage on Accelerator with Johnnie Jack (Ryan Campbell) starting to make up ground on the outside. Accelerator cleared to the lead with an eighth to go and dropped down to the pylons with more than a length to the good at the head of lane but Johnnie Jack had more left to offer. These two pacers traded blows down the Northside stretch, with Accelerator holding off the late lunge of Johnnie Jack to win by a quarter of a length in 1:59.1.

An eight-year-old son of Driven To Win - KG affair, Accelerator is owned by Shelly Fewer and Shawn Blanchard of Howie Center, N.S. with Sparling also handling the conditioning. The win was the 23rd of Accelerator's career, lifting his earnings to $25,345.

Earlier in the card, the girls managed the fastest mile of the day (and thus the season) in the $1,150 Fillies & Mares Open Pace. Elm Grove Ocean and Martin Bates made every call a winning one to trounce her four rivals in a lifetime best 1:59. The Atlantic Sires Stakes graduate bested Kiss Me Im Irish (Mark Pezzarello) and Red Rum She Wrote (Barry Bates) for owners Done For The Day Stable of New Waterford, N.S.

Northside Downs is slated to host 25 cards of harness racing this season, with a predominantly Saturday afternoon schedule complimented by a handful of special holiday cards.

To view the full results for Northside's first card of the season, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.