Sunshine Lou closed out the 2024 harness racing season at Inverness Raceway with a victory in the Sunday, Oct. 27 featured finale.

Campbell MacIsaac worked out a winning pocket trip for Sunshine Lou in the $2,750 Winners Over Pace behind the quick but steppy leaver, Windemere Best Man. Zach Mullins kept the leading Windemere Best Man pacing through the first turn and set fractions of :28.4, :58.1 and 1:28.2 while a challenge never materialized from the first-over favourite, Rotten Ronnie with Redmond Doucet, as they headed down the backside the final time. Instead, the challenge came from the pocket-popping Sunshine Lou when the pacers turned for home as he collared Windemere Best Man and drew off to win by 2-3/4 lengths in 1:59.1 with a salute from MacIsaac in the sulky as they crossed the finish line. Windemere Best Man settled for second while mid-race trailer Shir Gain got up for third after a three-wide backstretch blitz in rein to Rodney Gillis.

Sunshine Lou ended the meet like he started on May 26 when he won the track's top class on opening day. Trainer Ray MacKinnon and his wife Leah own the eight-year-old Sunshine Beach-Carte De Mode gelding, who earned his sixth win of the season to go along with 10 other top three finishes in 23 starts competing against Inverness Raceway's best. Topping $10,000 in earnings at the meet, the career winner of 25 races pushed his lifetime bankroll to $72,780.

Sunshine Lou paid $6.80 to win as the 2-1 second choice in the field of seven.

A driving double on Sunday's seven-race card with I C True Grit ($5.70) from the Lily Watson stable and the Lennan MacIsaac-trained Dirty Bobby ($9.40) helped Redmond Doucet secure another Inverness driving title as he maintained his lead in the 2024 standings over Rodney Gillis, 30-28. Donald Gillis Jr. drove a dozen winners at the meet to finish third.

Donald Beaton was the leading trainer of the 2024 meet with his stable earning its 22nd win during the season finale with Igot Socks ($4.60), driven by Rodney Gillis. Zach Mullins finished second in the trainer standings with 11 wins while Lennan MacIsaac's Sunday winner brought his win count to 10 and Lily Watson tied him for third-place with a pair of winners on the day that included Finer Things ($15.10) in Sunday's opener.

Dashpedia was retired in a winner's circle ceremony after competing in his last dash for local trainer/owner Mary MacQuarrie. The 14-year-old gelded son of Bettors Delight and Salsa Hanover got his early racing lessons at Inverness with Jamie Copley, who later bought him back in a U.S. sale and brought him back to Nova Scotia where he ended up with MacQuarrie for his final seasons on track. Dashpedia took a lifetime mark of 1:51.1 at Harrah's Philadelphia as a six-year-old and retires with 53 wins, 37 seconds and 45 thirds from 294 starts and earnings totalling $256,924.

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

(Standardbred Canada)