Hands Downs The Best In Kindergarten
Hands Down inherited his first career win in the MSSBA Kindergarten Stake for freshmen colts as the Manitoba harness racing action shifted to Wawanesa this weekend.
With Dean Rey in the driver's seat, Hands Down established the lead from post four in the $4,340 Saturday stakes event and led the five-horse field past fractions of :32, 1:02.4, and 1:34.3 before being collared by the pocket-pulling Alcars May Spree (Jacques Lambert). However, a judges' placing set Alcars May Spree back to third for causing interference to first over Reys N A Commotion (Michel Rey), leaving Hands Down to inherit the 2:05.4 triumph. Slight favourite Reys N A Commotion was third-placed-second.
The Armbro Trench-Blaze Me A Path colt, who scored his maiden-breaking win while making his fifth career start, is trained and owned by Richard Rey of St. Claude, MB.
Later on the card in the $3,000 MHHI Aged Mare Stake, favourite Princesse Dorleans rallied three-wide around pacesetter and eventual breaker The Panductor (Travis Cullen) and the dueling longshot Show Me The Goods (Kirk Rogers) at the third quarter station and opened up more than seven lengths on her foes to win in 2:01.2. Phoenician Gal (Ron Cullen) and Crush On Clinton (Dean Rey) came on for second and third.
The win was Princesse Dorleans' fifth in 20 seasonal starts. The four-year-old Shanghai Phil mare is owned by trainer-driver Dallas McGee and Lottie McGee of Deloraine, MB, along with Verne Rea of Calgary, Alta.
Open pacers headlined Sunday's card and it was favourite Armbro Dublin who captured the $2,000 handicap pace. He rebounded after being set back for causing interference in the top class last week with a 1:59.2 victory for trainer-driver Blake Piwniuk, who co-owns the nine-year-old Cambest son with Jerry Hagenaars of Hafford, Sask. Armbro Dublin is now four-for-nine this year. Stonebridge Camlot (Travis Cullen) and Sophio Hanover (Kirk Rogers) rounded out the top three finishers.
Live harness racing returns to Killarney next weekend with post time for Saturday, August 25 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, August 26 at 1:30 p.m.
To view this weekend's harness racing results, click on the following links:
These MB tracks are a great
These MB tracks are a great place to bring some horses to race. They have great country settings and the racing is very competitive, and furthermore the quality of the horses is such that many could race at other tracks across our country. I am glad to have raced some of our horses there this year.