D A Jiminy Cricket won the $22,900 Autumn Series Event B final for Ontario-sired freshman and sophomore male pacers on Sunday (Oct. 22) evening at Flamboro Downs.

Anthony Haughan and the Mike Saftic trainee landed in fourth as the car pulled away while Dancelike Ehskippr (Scott Coulter) and D A Lunchbox (Travis Cullen) battled it out on the front en route to the :27.4 opening quarter. Haughan tugged on his right line and sent D A Jiminy Cricket first over to the half in :57.1. Advancing on the outside, D A Jiminy Cricket was the first to the three-quarters in 1:25.4. He achieved full command in the final turn and kept on going to win by a length in 1:56. Nova Scotia Strong (Tyler Moore) followed a second over trip to take second and Id Imagine (Jason Ryan) followed that cover to round out the top three.

Saftic co-owns the three-year-old Big Jim gelding with D O P Racing as he earned his third seasonal and career win. D A Jiminy Cricket paid $6.10 to win as the 2-1 second choice.

Andy Over Upsets In Preferred Trot

From 13-1 odds, Ed Hensley and Andy Over returned a $28.20 win ticket as they upset the field in the $11,000 Preferred Trot.

The Ashleigh Hensley trainee got away third off the car, following pacesetting Power And Grace (Brett MacDonald) and Sicario (Austin Sorrie). Power And Grace landed at the first panel in :27.4, after which Andy Over pulled first over from third. Not making up much ground on the outside, Andy Over was still third at the half in :58. The gelding chipped away at the distance between himself and Power And Grace, hitting second from the outside by a half length at the three-quarters in 1:27. Andy Over took command in the final turn, but was met by a second over favourite Dealin With Dewey (Jason Ryan). The two dug in down the stretch, but Andy Over prevailed at the wire in 1:56.3 by a half length over Dealin With Dewey. Sicario grabbed the show spot.

Ed & Ashleigh Hensley own the six-year-old Andovers Son gelding as he earned his fifth win of the season and 27th career victory. Andy Over boasts a career bankroll of $204,152. 

Calabrese Claims Billings Dash At Flamboro

John Calabrese tripped out three-high to the final turn with Two For Tripping and pulled away to a 1:57.3 victory in the $7,000 Billings Drivers Series event.

Two For Tripping landed in third from the pylon post as Nates Bucky (Marc Pilon) powered for the front along with Sunseeker (Nello Guglielmi) from post seven. Nates Bucky led the strung-out field by the quarter in :28 and maintained a comfortable lead as Two For Tripping swung off the pylons to a :57.3 half.

Tide shifted up the backside for Nates Bucky as Two For Tripping scurried towards the top in a matter of strides. Sunseeker vacated the pocket, which forced Two For Tripping to roll three-wide up the backside. Two For Tripping edged to the lead in a three-pronged charge past three-quarters in 1:27.1 and extended clear upon straightening for home. He stretched home a 4-3/4-length winner over Sunseeker with 9-5 favourite Whistler (Robert Ciavardini) finishing third and Nates Bucky fading to fourth. 

Yvette Gallant trains Two For Tripping, a six-year-old gelding by Sportswriter, for owner Ivan Gallant. He paid $10.60 to win. 

Billings action shifts to Woodbine Mohawk Park on Monday, Oct. 23 with a $16,000 dash scheduled for race three on the 12-race card. First-race post time at Woodbine Mohawk Park is 7:10 p.m. (EDT).

AHDC Donates To Ronald McDonald House

The American Harness Drivers Club (AHDC) presented another donation on Sunday, this time for the Ronald McDonald House.

AHDC President Anthony Verruso, on the road with other club members for the Billings Drivers Series in Canada, presented the donation of $1,000 to the Ronald McDonald House, a charity with hundreds of chapters around the globe focused on aiding families of children who are receiving hospital care with amenities including housing and meals.

Verruso was joined by members of the Billings Series and the AHDC following its race at Flamboro to present the cheque.

“The AHDC is proud to support a variety of causes helping people of various needs,” said Verruso. “Families go through great lengths when a child gets sick to give them the care that’s necessary, and so we’re happy to donate to a charity like Ronald McDonald House that helps to alleviate some of the various stresses a family might deal with when their child is struggling.”

The AHDC is an amateur harness racing drivers club, meaning the portion of purses the drivers of the club earn in races are reserved for charitable donations. In 2023, the AHDC has donated several thousand dollars to numerous causes ranging from racehorse aftercare to cancer research to helping those with housing insecurity.

To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Flamboro Downs.

(With files from Billings Drivers Series & AHDC)