So Frisky and Zack To The Max closed out the Friday night (Dec. 10) card of harness racing at The Raceway at Western Fair District with victories in a pair of co-featured Preferred 3 events.

So Frisky scored a front-end victory in the $10,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred 3 Pace with Colin Kelly in the bike for trainer Anita Ouellette.

Leaving from post two, So Frisky cleared insider Randomirogeo (Jason Ryan) through a :28.1 opening quarter and carved out subsequent panels :58.2 and 1:27 en route to a two-length victory in 1:56.1 while outside assignee Buttermilk Hanover (Marc St Louis), the even-money favourite after winning this class last week, faded first-over. Randomirogeo followed in second and longshot Mywishlistforyou (Garrett Rooney) closed from the backfield to show.

Coming off a fourth-place finish in the Preferred 2 last week at Flamboro Downs, So Frisky was the 9-5 third choice and paid $5.90 to win. The homebred five-year-old mare by Dali out of Beauty Delight notched her fifth win of the year from 25 starts for owner Luc Ouellette Inc. of Campbellville, Ont. Her 21st career win pushed her earnings over the $150,000 mark.

In the $11,000 Preferred 3 Trot, Zack To The Max nosed out favourite Conquest As at the end of the 1-1/16-mile co-feature with Scott Wray in the bike for his father, Jack Wray, who trains and co-owns the winner.

Despite drawing outside, 7-5 favourite Conquest As (Marc St Louis) outsprinted 8-5 second choice Los Ballykeelamigo (Jason Ryan) to the front and posted fractions of :28, :58.3 and 1:29.2 to three-quarters with Tymal Houdini (Colin Kelly) advancing first-up. Following in third along the pylons, Zack To The Max was angled out into the three-path turning for home and he collared Conquest As at the finish line in 2:06.4, with Los Ballykeelamigo less than a length back in the passing lane and Tymal Houdini settling for fourth between the top two.

Making his first start since November 5, Zack To The Max returned $19.50 for the mild 8-1 upset. A winner in his first start of the year mid-February at the added-distance in London, he now has four victories from 21 starts during his five-year-old campaign. A 15-time winner, Zack To The Max has banked nearly $120,000 lifetime.

Jack Wray shares ownership of the Cantab Hall-Aspidistra Hanover gelding with Meagan Oneil of Denfield, Ont., and Peter Charlton of St. Thomas, Ont.

Earlier on the card, 13-year-old pacer Hopetobefirst ran his streak of first-place finishes up to six. Marc St Louis sent the Sagebrush-Hopetobebest gelding down the road to win the fifth race by 2-3/4 lengths in 1:57.1 for trainer/owner Stacey Currie of Guelph, Ont.

Pocket-sitter Colorado Buck (Garrett Rooney) was runner-up to the 1-9 favourite in the $8,000 conditioned/claiming pace while Always N The Money (Jason Ryan) rallied off cover to finish third.

The victory was the ninth of the year and 59th lifetime for Hopetobefirst, who is approaching the $400,000 earnings mark.

To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Western Fair Raceway.