Who says you need a big field to make speed? That theory went out the window about four steps off the starting gate in the 29th edition of the Des Smith Memorial

at Rideau Carleton Raceway.

And with World Cup fever running rampant, the hunch play of the night had to be a pacer named Anderlecht.

Dali (Luc Ouellette) and race favourite Bigtime Ball (Paul MacDonell) went at each other tooth and nail to the quarter pole in :25.2 before Dali backed off and Bigtime Ball was released to lead. Positions were unchanged as the field passed by the grandstand and headed to the midway point. The half-mile juncture was reached in a demanding clocking of :53.1 by Bigtime Ball, who felt third quarter pressure from Lucky Man (Mark MacDonald).

Lucky Man, who was third in the opening half of the mile after stretching out the early leaders for a piece in the first turn, tipped off the pylons and went after Bigtime Ball just as the field headed into the final turn. Bigtime Ball was on the lead by more than a length at the three-quarter pole in 1:21, but by the time he reached the top of the lane he embroiled in a pretty serious battle with Lucky Man.

Bigtime Ball came up empty when called on for more speed coming off the final turn, and that allowed Lucky Man to take over command. Anderlecht (Jody Jamieson) rode Lucky Man’s cover into the lane, and when he swung off that cover he summoned up a :28-second final quarter en route to posting the 17-1 upset in a career-best clocking of 1:49.3. Go Go Solano (Brett Miller) shook loose in the lane after enjoying a ground-saving journey throughout the mile to grab the runner-up award and third prize went to Lucky Man.

Dali rallied for fourth prize while Bigtime Ball, who was sent off as the 2-5 favourite, had to settle for a fifth-place cheque. Awesome Armbro N, who was supplemented to the race for $10,000, was late getting to the starting gate and finished sixth.

“It was as action packed as it possibly could be right off the bat,” said winning driver Jody Jamieson. “We had a horse way back off the gate and then we go :25.2 anyways and then a half in :53; and we raced. Some quality horses got beat in there. Igor Vrablic’s been preaching about Anderlecht for three years now telling me how good he is, and he was so good tonight that he beat those world class horses. The track was great and the race was great and I’m just so glad for Igor and his family.”

The 1:49.3 performance matched the Canadian record for older pacing horses on a five-eighths mile oval. Lis Mara established the record on September 10, 2006 when he captured that year’s edition of the Des Smith Memorial at Rideau Carleton Raceway.

Igor Vrablic trains the five-year-old son of Cams Card Shark-Princess Chablis for the Black Road Stable of Kitchener and Point Zero Seven Racing of Burlington, ON. It was the pacer’s third win of the season in 11 tries, and it was the 16th tally of his career. The $85,000 payday bumped his lifetime earnings to $494,615, which isn’t bad considering he was purchased by his connections for $14,000 from the 2006 Harrisburg Yearling Sale.

Finnegan And Priceless Edition Prevail In Preferreds

A solid undercard was put together by Rideau Carleton Raceway’s race office staff, and included in the mix were a pair of beefed up Preferred events. Each of the tilts – one for trotters and one for pacers – offered a purse of $20,000.

Finnegan pushed his win streak to four-in-a-row for trainer/driver Ted McDonald thanks to his 1:56.3 triumph in the Preferred Trot. The five-year-old son of Angus Hall enjoyed a pocket trip for most of the mile, and that left him with plenty of late speed to offer. He kicked home in :29.1 to seal the deal by 1-1/4 lengths over Perfect Vacation. Third prize was earned by Make You Mine.

Owned by the Dobe Stables of Rideau Ferry, ON, Finnegan improved his 2010 record to 6-3-3 in 16 trips postward with the win. The 17-time winner has stashed away more than $136,000 in his career.

Peter Heffering’s Priceless Edition pounded pacing foes by more than eight lengths in last week’s Preferred class, and on Sunday night he outdid himself by turning in a 9-1/2 length tally in his follow-up performance for driver Gord Brown and trainer Mark Steacy.

Brown came first-over with the six-year-old son of Real Desire, and the gelding had no problem overcoming the trip en route to posting a career-best clocking of 1:50.3. Sent off as the 2-5 favourite, he defeated Strand Hanover and Montreal Phil.

To view Sunday’s results, click here.