Hugh Heff has attracted a fair share of attention since relocating to Canada's east coast, but North America's winningest Standardbred of 2024 had to play a supporting role on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Northside Downs as the Cape Breton oval hosted lucrative divisions of the Phil Pinkney Memorial for two-year-old pacers.

Saturday's card featured a $26,780 Pinkney split for pacing colts, and a $28,180 division for pacing fillies. Favoured Malevolent ($2.50) and Lady Hess ($2.70) prevailed as expected.

Ladies first, however. In this case, it really was ladies first as the first major stakes race of the day was the $28,180 Phil Pinkney Memorial for two-year-old pacing fillies. The public backed Lady Hess from the rail, and the filly showed her class with a confident score.

Driver Adam Merner pocketed 1-4 choice Lady Hess behind Talldarklatte (Brodie MacPhee) through fractions of :28.3, :59.2 and 1:28.3. Heading to that third station, Merner angled Lady Hess to the outside, but quickly settled back to the pylons before the final turn. Once the front pair hit that bend, Lady Hess got her cue a second time and she paced by the pacesetter handily in the lane for the 1:57.3 victory. Talldarklatte was next best, 1-3/4 lengths in arrears, with Saulsbrook Inferno (Redmond Doucet) at the bottom of the triactor ticket.

Jamie Smith trains Lady Hess (Heston Blue Chip-Abes Lady) for Charlottetown's Groupof7 Stable. In her 11th career start, Lady Hess pushed her summary to 6-2-0 and lifted her purses to $40,593.

The horseplayers offered similar support for Malevolent in his $26,780 Pinkney test, and the Paul Langille trainee didn't disappoint. 

Father Hughie D (MacPhee) started the mile strongly, hammering out a :27.4 first quarter and :58.2 half. That tempo was too spicy to maintain, however. Sitting fifth at the opening marker, Malevolent started his stalking approach for Langille after the three-eighths mark and landed on the lead down the backside approaching the third station. Up four at the 1:27.3 third quarter, Malevolent callously paced away from his rivals and finished his mile an unrepentant 6-1/2 lengths the best after a 1:56.4 shellacking of his six rivals. Income Approach (Merner) and One Can Dan (Doucet) rounded out to the top trio.

A son of Malicious-Lady Kelleigh Anne, Malevolent now sports eight wins in nine appearances and $73,007 in earnings for Debbie Francis of Sweets Corner and Rosanne Langille of Lower Onslow, N.S.

With eight straight wins coming into Saturday's card, Hugh Heff clearly had the target on his back in the $1,600 Winners Over Pace. Assigned the outside post six,  the streaking veteran also faced a robust group of seven rivals — resulting in two trailers — for Saturday's test.

Scratched down to a field of seven, the public preferred Red Shores invader Bacononabiscuit in Saturday's top local class. Starting from post three, Bacononabiscuit and Merner forged to the front over rail starter Q Ts Charlie (Jeremy Baker) and cleared after a :28.2 opening panel. From there, his lead was never threatened. After middle splits of :56.4 and 1:25.2, Bacononabiscuit finished his assignment successfully in 1:55.4, with Hugh Heff (Randy Getto) valiant in defeat more than two lengths back in second after never seeing the rail.

Or so it seemed.

An objection was lodged by Baker, driver of Q Ts Charlie, on Merner and Bacononabiscuit for interference at the first quarter. Judges upheld the objection upon review, and placed Bacononabiscuit fourth. Thus, Hugh Heff finished second but was placed first to extend his win streak to nine straight.

Heave Away (Langille) finished third but was placed second, with fourth-place Q Ts Charlie elevated to third.

Hugh Heff (Betterthancheddar-Danika Patrix) picked up his 31th career win on Saturday and lifted his career earnings to $103,901. For his nine-race win streak, he's been trained by Dana Getto for local owners Randy Getto of New Waterford, Susan MacSween of River Ryan and Wayne Hardy of Sydney, N.S. Today's win marked his 23rd of the season, the most in North America for a Standardbred horse this year.

For the results from Saturday's card of harness racing in Cape Breton, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.

(Standardbred Canada)