The favourite players liked what they saw in Sunday’s Preferred events at Rideau Carleton Raceway

, thanks to winning efforts by the pari-mutuelly-popular tandem of Best Show In Town and Gutsy Volo.

Best Show In Town stretched his win streak to three-in-a-row thanks to his 1:53.1 performance in the $12,100 Preferred Pace. It was a career-best clocking for the seven-year-old son of Grinfromeartoear, who front-stepped his way to the win for 9174 7998 Quebec Inc. of Blainville, QC.

With Guy Gagnon at the lines, the roan gelding chopped out fractions of :27.1, :56.1 and 1:23.4 before finishing off his foes with a final quarter clocked in :29.2. Best Show In Town, who was sent off as the 3-5 choice in the seven-horse affair, won by a length over Whistling Hanover. Third prize was earned by Littlebitoflife.

The 38-time winner has put together a 6-3-1 record in his first 11 starts of the season. He has banked more than $47,000 along the way, and that brings his lifetime purse haul to $318,486.

Two races later it was Gusty Volo who circled past four rivals to take home weekly bragging rights and the lion’s share of the purse in the $12,100 Preferred Trot.

The five-year-old son of Yankee Glide, who was sent off as the 3-2 favourite, was at the back of the bus at the mid-way point of the mile before uncorking a strong rally in the back half of the trotting tilt. Trainer/driver Robbie Robinson cruised under the line to win by more than three lengths with the gelding, who easily knocked off runner-up Tritri and third-place finisher Copper John.

Brian Cassell, Jacqueline Dinelle and Sean Hibbert pay the bills on Gutsy Volo, who is now 1-for-2 in 2009. He went 17-for-29 in 2008 and banked just shy of $100,000. He has stashed away more than $117,000 in his career.

To view Sunday’s results, click here.