Anderlecht Back In Rideau Spotlight
Veteran pacer Anderlecht powered home from the backfield to pick up his third victory over the past four Sundays in the Winners Over $25,000 Lifetime/Not Listed Preferred at Rideau Carleton Raceway.
After prevailing by half a length over Anderlecht in his seasonal debut last week, D Gs Woodstock was looking for the leading role over his five foes in Sunday's $6,500 feature and he carved out fractions of :28, :58.2 and 1:27.
Meanwhile, Anderlecht and driver Rheo Filion followed along second-to-last and maneuvered around the stalled cover of Slight Touch down the backstretch. The John MacMillan trainee was able to catch up to the pocket-pulling Beach Runner A M around the final turn and fanned wide for the stretch drive.
Sprinting his final quarter in :28-seconds, Anderlecht prevailed by just over a length in 1:56 flat. Tail R Swift, the lone mare in the field, closed up the passing lane from the pocket and edged out Beach Runner A M for second-place while D Gs Woodstock was forced to settle for fourth-place. Viper Select finished four lengths back in fifth while Slight Touch trailed far behind.
Anderlecht, a former (2010) Des Smith champion, paid $5.40 to win as the 8-5 co-favourite (with Slight Touch).
The 10-year-old son of Cams Card Shark, who took his mark of 1:48 just last year at Pocono Downs, now boasts 44 career wins and a bankroll just over $900,000.
Anderlecht's victory was the first of three for the MacMillan stable on the Sunday card.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway.