Two-year-old male pacer The Great Shark and filly B A Dragon completed a sweep of the Alberta Sires Stakes preliminary legs with dominant victories in the third round on Friday, Oct. 17 at Century Mile.

Following up victories in the opening Rising Star and Lone Star legs, The Great Shark was a wire-to-wire winner in the first $27,100 Shooting Star division for the colts and geldings with regular reinsman Dave Kelly aboard for trainer Brinsley Brooking Lutz.

Sent postward as the heavy 1-4 favourite, The Great Shark took control from the inside post and led through splits of :28.2, :58 and 1:27.4 en route to a 1:55.3 victory over the 'good' track. In the race for place 4-1/4-lengths behind, pocket-sitter Chasing Tigers (Phil Giesbrecht) regained second in the stretch, finishing just ahead of first-over challenger Libra Mundi (Brandon Campbell).

The Great Shark extended his overall win streak to five and boosted his bankroll to $50,429 through eight career starts. The Smart Shark-Great Desire gelding is owned by breeder Michelle Danroth of Lumby, B.C., along with Brent Grundy of Edmonton, Alta. He paid $2.70 to win.

A front-end winner in the Starlet and Starburst legs, B A Dragon completed a perfect record in the filly prelims with another dominant victory in a $27,400 Stardust division for trainer/driver Jamie Gray.

B A Dragon parked out a pair of rivals into the first turn as she left from the rail and proceeded to carve out fractions of :28.4, :59.4 and 1:29. The 2-5 favourite won in a romp, opening up four lengths before hitting the wire in 1:57.3. Lets Go Gals (Kelly Hoerdt) protected her pocket position in the early going but Blue Star Strike (Mike Hennessy), who was caught three-wide leaving from the outside before landing a three-hole trip, got up in the photo for place.

B A Dragon has earned four (consecutive) wins and two seconds from six starts, with earnings totalling $42,591. The Custard The Dragon-Saucy B filly, a $61,000 yearling purchase from the Alberta Standardbred Horse Sale, is owned by Gray and partners J J J Stables of North Vancouver, B.C., and Paul Sanders of Surrey, B.C. She paid $2.90 to win.

The same connections later celebrated another Alberta Sires Stakes victory when Ruler Of Dragons held off stablemate Mayhem N Madness in a Shooting Star stretch duel.

Racing wide through the first turn from the outside post seven, 4-5 favourite Ruler Of Dragons crossed in front during a :28.4 first quarter with Phil Giesbrecht driving for Gray in the second $27,100 colt and gelding division. After a :58.1 half, Ruler Of Dragons was met by 6-5 second choice Mayhem N Madness and Gray as they approached three-quarters in 1:27.3. The stablemates duked it out down the stretch, with Ruler Of Dragons ultimately prevailing by a half-length in the quickest stakes division of the night for a new lifetime mark of 1:55.2. Vegas Gangster (Mike Hennessy) rounded out the top three off a pocket trip, finishing five lengths behind. 

Ruler Of Dragons is just a head shy of a perfect campaign after a close runner-up finish to The Great Shark in last week's Lone Star leg. The Custard The Dragon-Lady Neigh Neigh gelding has now earned $98,175 in his first six starts. He paid $3.60 to win.

In the other $27,100 filly division of the Stardust, Terrible Custard scored a breakthrough victory for the father and son, training and driving duo of Rod and Mike Hennessy.

After landing in fifth through opening panels of :30.1 and 1:00.1, Terrible Custard went on the attack and caught the front-striding Dawgonit (Brandon Campbell) at three-quarters in 1:30.1. She drew clear down the lane to make her sixth start a winning one in 1:58.3, with Lovemymockingbird (Jamie Gray) chasing three lengths behind in second and Dawgonit settling for third.

Terrible Custard, who was a runner-up in the Starburst leg, paid $19.50 for the 8-1 upset win. A homebred daughter of Custard The Dragon out of Remember Terror, she competes for local owner Lorne Duffield.

The Alberta Sires Stakes Super Finals will be contested on Nov. 8 at Century Mile.

In other racing action, Bares All doubled up in the $16,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace for trainer/driver Logan Gillis, taking command at the half-mile mark after a pair of early lead changes and scoring in 1:53 by 2-1/2 lengths despite drifting to the centre of the track in the homestretch. Coming off a 1:52 career-best victory in the top distaff class a week ago, the four-year-old Heston Blue Chip-Skinny Dipper mare was the 3-1 second choice and paid $8.40 to win after defeating Grey Sea (Kelly Hoerdt) and favoured Byby Baby Byby (Mike Hennessy). The 10-time career winner is owned by Todd Teolis of St. Albert, Alta.

To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Century Mile.

(Standardbred Canada; photo of The Great Shark winning on Oct. 17)