Shenandoah Downs celebrated the life of Cathy Rutherford on Saturday, Oct. 19 with five of the top women drivers at the track competing in the Pink Power Pace, topped off with a $2,778 donation to the Shenandoah Chapter of The American Cancer Society.

In an action-packed event from start to finish, driver Lauren Harmon had the six-year-old Rockin Image gelding Seal Oneill rocking home in :28.1 to score a convincing victory in 1:56.4 -- one the fastest miles of the day at the Downs. Stacey McLenaghan was second with Hey Siri, 6-1/2 lengths away, while Alexandra Golden was third with Katana, just another nose back. Sierra Seidner was next with Pacific Stride while Betsy Brown, hot off the wings with Bootlegger Charlie, picked up the nickel.

This Pink Power mile was full of action from first stride to last as Hey Siri and Bootlegger Charlie engaged in war early with Bootlegger Charlie taking charge from Hey Siri through a :29.1 opener, with the even-money favourite Katana next and Seal Oneill fourth…but not for long.

During the second quarter, Harmon sent Seal Oneill brushing to the front, hitting that marker in :59.1

During the backside third quarter, Katana brushed diligently forward and stuck a head in front of Sean Oneill as the pace picked up a bit with three-quarters clocked in 1:28.3.

But Sean Oneill had something left in the form of a :28.1 finale to draw off to the wire.

In a post race interview,Harmon lauded the performance of her horse saying, “Yeah, when he was confronted at the quarter pole, he just went into another gear…and I mean another gear!

“I’m happy for Fern [trainer Paquet Jr.] and the owners [Michael and Elizabeth Paquet], but, most of all, I am really happy that Dee Lineweaver and the entire staff at Shenandoah Downs saw fit to honour Cathy [Rutherford] for her courage in fighting this disease and what she added to Shenandoah Downs while she was a huge part of our racing program here.

“It was an honour to participate -- and all of the ladies in this race agree -- and it was great that this track partnered with the amateur club [United States Harness Drivers Club] to make this donation possible.”

This was the 11th win of the year in the sulky for Harmon and 41st lifetime.

Representatives of the Shenandoah Valley Chapter of the American Cancer Society were at the track for the festivities with a large contingency gathering in the winner’s circle for the presentation and donation.

For the winning pacer Sean Oneill, it was his fifth victory of the year in 34 starts with the lion's share of the $7,986 purse sending his seasonal earnings to $36,637 and lifetime bankroll to $133,253.

The winner was second choice in the wagering and paid $6.20 to win.

Lineweaver also carded a pair of races for the United States Harness Drivers Club (USHDC) with the ladies devouring the first two spots in that event.

The first $7,986 division went to the four-year-old American Ideal mare Baltimore Beauty, driven by Stacey McLenaghan, closing fastest of all to score by 1-3/4 lengths over Bungalow Bill N, with Lauren Harmon holding the lines. Stellar BB was third for Kevin Altig while Just Bettor rallied for fourth with pilot Alexandra Golden. Boondoggie, beginning from the outside post eight, picked up the final award.

Again, this was a fight from start to finish was Bungalow Bill N got in a war with Stellar BB through fractions of :28.3, :57.4 and 1:27.4 with Rollatown third and Baltimore Beauty fourth and ready to go on a double bubble binge, which she did at the third station to collar Bungalow Bill N turning for home and then draw away.

Trained by Scott Warnick for owner Deborah Warnick, Baltimore Beauty sent her 2024 scorecard to 4-3-5 in 30 starts.

The winner paid $7.60 as third choice and gave McLenaghan her 15th win of the year -- her best ever -- to give her 57 career wins in the sulky to go along with 426 training wins lifetime.

The final USHDC event, with a $9,375 purse, was a wide-open affair as all horses were single digits on the tote board when the bell rang.

At the wire, Singforyoursupper, also by American Ideal, reported home a game winner as the four-year-old gelding survived punishing early fractions on the front end to score for Michael Dailey in 1:54.4.

Dailey sent his charge roaring off the wings and had to engage in combat with Brooklyns Carmine through fractions of :27.2, :55.2 and 1:25 before putting that one away and had enough left to score by a length in 1:54.4 -- even pulling away a bit when confronted by Alta Engine A in the lane with Adrian Wisher Jr. in the sulky. Cheyenne Ryan Lee was an “even-steven” third for Dylan Fagan while Cherokee Joe A was next for Stacey McLenaghan. Brooklyns Carmine did hold on to pick up the nickel.

Owned and trained by Henry Lewis, Singforyoursupper earned his fifth win of the year in 20 starts.

For the 54-year-old Dailey, who has joined the harness racing fraternity only this year, it was his first pari-mutuel win with his faithful enjoying a $12 mutuel as fourth choice in this septet.

Also of note, the Singforyoursupper-Dailey combination turned in the fastest mile of the afternoon at Shenandoah Downs.

Racing continues at Shenandoah Downs through Oct. 27.

(With files from USHDC)