It was a tale of two depths of experience on Saturday, July 20 at Century Downs with rookies competing in stakes action and veterans battling it out in the local top class.

The main event of the card was a single $50,000 division of the Norm Kennedy Memorial for two-year-old pacing colts. A debuting Momas Work Of Art was sent off at less than even money off two solid qualifiers, but will have to wait to have his picture taken for the first time. After driver Serge Masse sent the rookie through fractions of :28.2, :57.3 and 1:26.3 on the front end, Ima Rum Runner and Nathan Sobey ran down the favourite in the stretch to win by three parts of a length in 1:56.4. Dont Shoot Luke (Mike Hennessy) was best of the rest in third.

Sobey trains Ima Rum Runner, now one-for-two in his rookie campaign, for breeder-owners Keith Clark of Foothills and Robert Jones of Stony Plain, Alta. The winner, a son of Captain Deo - Rummys Command pictured above, returned $6.40 on a $2 win wager.

Two-year-old pacing fillies went postward in two $25,000 Emerald Filly Pace divisions, with Hot Shot Shark taking the faster of the two splits while remaining unbeaten.

A half-length winner in her debut a week ago after an off-the-pace trip from driver Logan Gillis, Hot Shot Shark ($4.90) returned to visit track photographer Caitlin Fancy once again but did all the dirty work on the front end this time around. After a :28.2 opener, Gillis and Hot Shot Shark backed off the tempo and paced out middle panels in 1:00.2 and 1:29.2. Reserving some energy for the stretch drive, Hot Shot Shark held off the late rally of Blowing Inthe Wind by a neck to win in 1:57.4. Blowing Inthe Wind looked to have tons of go when angled, but driver Brandon Campbell had some steering issues and couldn't get his filly straightened away in time. Eyes Up Here (David Kelly) rounded out the top three.

A daughter of Smart Shark and former Alberta Horse of the Year Crackers Hot Shot, Hot Shot Shark was bred and is owned by trainer Rod Starkewski of Lamont, Alta.

Custard Dolce came first up from third after hitting the halfway point in the first Emerald Filly Pace division to challenge pacesetter Imashipwreck (Campbell), and those fillies locked horns through the last three-eighths of the mile. After a 1:29 third station, the fillies paced as a pair into the stretch. Imashipwreck looked to have enough to stave off the challenge, but started to bunch up in the stretch and lost momentum. Custard Dolce stayed smooth and straight, and hit the wire in 1:58.1 a half-length the best. Phone The Cops (Masse) completed the triactor ticket.

Bred by trainer-driver Gray, Custard Dolce (Custard The Dragon - Blue Star West) is owned by Gray along with fellow Albertans Jackson Wittup, Max Gibb and Derek Wilson. She returned $4.80 to win in her maiden-breaking score.

Guess who's back, back again? Shark Week's back, tell a friend. A winner in 1:51.3 by nearly nine lengths last week, Shark Week was once again the best in Saturday's $12.500 Preferred Pace. Good news for his rivals: he only won by 4-3/4 lengths this week. Bad news, he got there quicker, pacing in 1:51.

Driver Mike Hennessy sent the 1-9 choice to the top from post three, and Shark Week handled it from there. After fractions of :26.2, :54.3 and 1:23, the 2023 Horse of the Year in Alberta sauntered home in :28 for the impressive victory. Bonus Round (Kelly) just edged out Icy Blue Scooter (Sobey) for second.

Six-year-old Shark Week (Vertical Horizon - Shark Gone Bad) is now a 44-time winner for trainer Rod Hennessy, who co-owns with Lorne Duffield of Edmonton. He paid $2.10 to win, while lifting his career earnings to $370,225.

Next Saturday (July 27) Century Downs shifts its first race post time to 1:45 p.m. (MT) as the track plays host to Packwood Grand.

For the results from Saturday's card of harness racing at Century Downs, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.

(Standardbred Canada)