Mother Mary was divine on the Tuesday, Oct. 14 program at Northville Downs at Barry Expo Center with a new track record for a four-year-old pacing mare, the fastest of four records to fall on the program.

In the co-featured $18,592 TMI Rating pace for distaffs, driver Brad Kramer sent Mother Mary right to the front from the inside post, and she never looked back. The four-year-old put up fractions of :29, :57, and 1:25.2 and won in 1:54.1 by 1-1/4 lengths over former track record-holder Rock Ur Wings (David Lake). Pair Of Hardts (Charles Taylor) was third. Mother Mary's mile established a new mark for a four-year-old pacing mare and the overall record for a female pacer of any age.

Mother Mary ($2.20) is a homebred for owner-trainer Joe Casagranda of Hastings, Mich. The win was the mare's second straight and her 18th lifetime in 34 starts. The daughter of Rockin Image-Pv Miracle Mary has earned $142,236.

Rankin turned a pocket trip into a track-record win in the co-featured $18,592 TMI Rating trot. He sat second for Taylor through :29, :58.2, and 1:28.1 fractions, then blew past early leader Magical Journey (Ty Goodell), who settled for third after being passed late by Rose Run Vincent (Lake) for second. Rankin scored by 6-1/4 lengths in a final clocking of 1:57.2, which lowered his own track record for a four-year-old trotting gelding. The mile also established a new overall trotting track record, surpassing the previous mark of 1:58.3 set by Celebrity Pegasus on Sept. 30. 

Rankin ($6.20), a son of Enterprise-Luvyaformiles, is bred, owned, and trained by Judy Roegner of Croswell, Mich. The gelding is now 27-for-62 lifetime and has earned $173,706.

In the fifth race, Joyful Lady ($7.80) went coast-to-coast to a track-record victory for an aged pacing mare in 1:56, kicking off a pair of record-breaking miles for trainer-driver David Lake. Lake rated her to :27.4, :56.2, and 1:26 splits, and the mare came home a one-length winner over Ashlees Amanda (Taylor), followed by Skyway Rockatop (John Moody). Joyful Lady, a five-year-old daughter of A Rocknroll Dance-Lenore Karidian, is owned by Michael Cogar of Clinton, Mich. She has won 15 of 64 career outings and earned $93,633.

Kings Sweetheart ($4.40), also trained and driven by Lake, equalled her own week-old track record for an aged trotting mare in the seventh race, producing another dominant wire-to-wire effort. She put up the panels of :30, 1:00.3, and 1:31 and kicked clear late to prevail by five lengths in 2:00.4. Stoneborough (Bart Stimer) was second over Echos Gq (Moody). Lake, of Jackson, Mich., owns the winning Big Chocolate-Red Queens Image mare, who took her seventh career victory in 40 starts. The five-year-old has earned $79,838.

Lake then guided Noble Dale ($6.80) to a pocket-tripping win by a half-length over Itsonlyrocknroll A (Winter Asher-Stalbaum) in the 10th race, an $18,592 TMI Rating handicap pace. Noble Dale raced second through :27.4, :56.1, and 1:25.4 splits, then overhauled the pacesetter to score a clocking of 1:55.2, which set a new track record for a four-year-old pacing gelding, lowering his own mark by a second. Rb (Goodell) was third. Jocelyn Bates of Adrian, Mich. owns and trains Noble Dale. The son of The Panderosa-Noble Trixie has tallied 11 wins and $159,305 in earnings in 64 lifetime outings. 

Lake finished the 11-race card with five driving wins, three of which came from his own barn. In addition to Joyful Lady, Kings Sweetheart, and Noble Dale, he drove winners Promise At Dawn ($3.20) from his own barn and Cheryl Whitsell's Enchanted Mission ($5.60). Lake has won with 58 of his 405 drives this year and is 22-for-145 as a trainer.

In the 11th race, a $18,592 TMI Rating handicap pace, the red-hot Two Birds Onestone won his fifth race in a row at Northville Downs. He left hard for Jennifer Main but was stung to the quarter in :28.3 until a stubborn Born Wild (Lake) finally yielded. Once clear, Two Birds Onestone set fractions of :56.3 and 1:25.4 and flew to a six-length victory in 1:53.3. The mile was the second-fastest at Northville Downs at Barry Expo Center, three-fifths of a second behind his own record of 1:53. Born Wild was second, with Dontcallmefrancis (Don Harmon) completing the triactor.

Two Birds Onestone ($2.60) is owned by Carl Putnam Jr. and trained by Steve Main. The five-year-old Black Daniels-She B Jeebeez gelding has now won 35 times out of 82 starts and procured lifetime earnings of $393,121. 

Northville Downs at Barry Expo Center will conclude its inaugural meet with its next card on Wednesday, Oct. 15, which has a special first-race post time of 12:30 p.m. Ten races are on tap for the finale, in which the battles for leading driver and trainer will be settled. The card will also feature tributes to the 14-year-olds racing at the track for the final time before they face mandatory retirement.

(Northville Downs; photo of Mother Mary winning on Aug. 7 at Running Aces)