Clintons Escape enters Sunday’s Alberta Sires Stakes action with an impressive sophomore record and a speedy mark of 1:50.2 taken in the Brad Gunn on July 25

at Alberta Downs, which was just one-fifth of a second off the fastest time ever recorded in Western Canada. A record like that leaves one asking if he can break the sought-after 1:50 barrier?

“I have my doubts that he’ll do it here,” the gelding’s trainer, driver and part-owner, Keith Clark, told Trot Insider. “He might do it somewhere else. To get those kind of fractions set up for you and have a perfect day, the track there can be real fast but any little bit of rain and they have trouble there so we’ll probably never get those kind of conditions again.”

Clark bought into the three-year-old son of Clintons Cigar-Emotionaliscape, who was bred and raised by Allan Neurauter of High River and George Young of Calgary, AB, after training him down and qualifying him at the start of the 2010 season.

“It’s funny how things come together,” said Clark, who also trained and drove Clinton Escape's father at the turn of the century.

Clark purchased Clintons Cigar in the U.S. as a youngster to race in Alberta. ‘Cigar’ won 15 of 22 starts at two and three, including the Western Canada Pacing Derby, and earned over $225,000 while in the Hall of Famer’s care. His efforts on track earned him divisional honours in Alberta at the end of both seasons.

Neurauter later sought out Clintons Cigar, who had made appearances in Illinois, Ontario, Kentucky, New Jersey and Illinois during his aged campaign. He claimed him for $12,000 in December 2003 at Balmoral Park and shipped him back to Alberta soon after for stud duty, producing Clintons Escape in 2007.

“Clintons Escape showed lots of potential before I ever even got him,” noted Clark.

Trained by Brandon and Sanford Campbell as a freshman, Clintons Escape won his first three of seven starts and banked $37,244. Among his wins were the Horizon Pace in 1:57.4 at Grande Prairie and an Alberta Sires Stakes division.

“He showed right away that he was a pretty good colt but he had a lot of sickness problems,” said Clark. “I think he may have even got strangles when he was two.”

“He trained down well when I trained him back at three and he qualified good. He’s got a pretty decent gait and he’s a quick horse and I just took a shot at him. I didn’t know for sure how good he would be but it turned out he was pretty good.”

So good in fact, that Clintons Escape came within one-fifth of a second of All Over The Place’s record for Western Canada in the $105,000 Brad Gunn two weeks ago. All Over The Place set the 1:50.1 mark in the Nat Christie Memorial Stake on August 28, 2005 at Stampede Park for driver Ron Pierce and trainer Mark Ford.

“The track was decent that day but it still wasn’t as fast it could be,” said Clark. “It was a heck of a mile. I didn’t think he had that in him, he really surprised me. He went a big trip. It was one of those days where the fractions got set up for you and he was getting a good trip although I used him hard leaving to get into the two-hole. He got to sit in the two-hole until I pulled around the five-eighths mark and he was just full of go that day and just really raced well.”

“I think that’s the fastest mile I’ve ever been,” he noted. “I’ve had some pretty good colts but none of them have ever been on a mile track out here before. This is the first mile we’ve had. As Promised I think went in [1]:50.2 at the Meadowlands.”

The following week, Clintons Escape won his Alberta Marksman elimination in 1:53.2, making him undefeated in Alberta Sires Stakes action this season – he swept the Alberta Plainsman in June. Clintons Escape will start from Post 2 in the $54,200 Alberta Marksman Final, which is set to close out the 11-race program in Lacombe on Sunday.

“He’s coming in [to Sunday’s race] real good. I trained him today [Wednesday] and he was sharp. He’s been feeling pretty good and he drew good so we’re sitting in a good spot in that race I think. He should be pretty tough there.”

Clintons Escape has already won nine of 11 starts and banked $119,692 for his connections, but his season is just getting underway. Clark says he has no plans to send the gelding East this year.

“He’s got Alberta Sires Stakes left here and he’s got a couple of Open stakes. He’s got quite a bit of money to go for yet so we’ll definitely leave him here.”

Clark has, however, entertained the idea of shipping Clintons Escape away from his home province next year.

“Maybe as a four-year-old,” he said. “He’ll stay here at three and we’ll make a decision when he turns four.”

Sunday’s card also features the $55,400 Alberta Diamond Final for sophomore fillies and Clark will send out three starters in that race including elimination winner W Jean (PP8, Don Monkman Jr.), Queen Of Swing (PP4, Bobby Clark), and Rossridge Fortune (PP7, Keith Clark).

The action gets underway at 1:35 p.m. with CTV’s live coverage of the Alberta Marksman and Diamond beginning at 4 p.m. (local time).

Sunday is Family Fun Day at Alberta Downs featuring face painting, a petting zoo, bouncy horse house, carnival games, cotton candy and candy apples between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Burgers, hot dogs and pop will be available for $1.

Click here for Sunday’s stakes final program pages and click here for full entries.