Stash The Cookies Doubles Up In Mares Preferred
After taking the $13,500 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace last week at Century Downs, Stash The Cookies went back for a second helping on Friday (Oct. 7).
Stash The Cookies crossed to command ahead of her four foes in the afternoon's featured pace and set fractions of :27.2, :56.1 and 1:24.2 en route to a 1-3/4-length victory in 1:53.4 for trainer/driver Logan Gillis. If Only Id Known (Nathan Sobey) and Betcha Baby (Brandon Campbell) came on for second and third.
A repeat winner in the Mares Preferred, Stash The Cookies returned $3.80 as the 4-5 favourite.
The six-year-old Sunfire Blue Chip-Saucy B mare now boasts 11 victories this season from 25 starts, with eight of those wins in the Preferred or Open class including a 1:51.2 track record, and nearly $95,000 banked in purses. Lifetime, she has won 21 times and has earnings totalling $219,399.
Gillis trains the mare for owner Derek Gilbert of Brandon, M.B.
In other Friday racing action, three-year-old pacing filly Divine Art continued her win streak that began in early July and has included a pair of Alberta Sires Stakes finals and the Gold & Illa Rumpel Memorial Stakes.
Facing older mares in a $10,500 conditioned pace in a tune-up for the Oct. 15 Super Finals, the daughter of Outrageous Art advanced from the back of the five-horse field on cover and was sent three-wide approaching the three-quarter pole by trainer/driver Nathan Sobey before drawing off by 3-1/2 lengths in the stretch for the 1:54.3 victory over pacesetter Blue Star Mystic (David Kelly) and Jesses Girl (Mike Hennessy).
Making it eight straight wins, she paid $2.60 as the 1-5 favourite.
Divine Art is owned by Robert Jones of Stony Plain, Alta., Diane Bertrand of Lake Country, B.C., and John Hind of Calgary, Alta.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Century Downs.