Elims To Chalk Player, Wrangler Cash
Chalk Player and Wrangler Cash each prevailed off pocket trips in Sunday afternoon's $7,500 eliminations for a four-year-old stakes event for male pacers at Fraser Downs.
Making his Fraser debut, Chalk Player was the favourite in the first elimination for trainer/driver Brandon Campbell, whose successful weekend of racing included a five-win performance on Saturday. Owned by Raymond Henry of Calgary, the four-year-old Camluck gelding tracked pacesetter Blue Star Jet (Mike Hennessy) through fractions of :27.2, :57.4 and 1:26.2 before tipping out at the head of the stretch and rolling by for the victory in 1:55.3 over the sloppy track. Blue Star Jet settled for second, finishing one and a quarter lengths behind, while Its Eds Idea (Dave Hudon) edged out Bettors Mark (John Chappell) and Credit Risk (Jim Marino) for third-place, five lengths back.
Out-sprinted off the gate as the favoured outside starter, Real Kid (Dave Hudon), fired to the front in the next elimination for the $30,000 stakes final, Wrangler Cash and trainer/driver Kelly Hoerdt swept to command after opening panels of :27.4 and :59.3. The season-debuting Alberta Sires Stakes graduate reached three-quarters in 1:28.4 and held clear of the oncoming Imrunninonsunshine (Scott Knight) through the stretch to score in 1:58.1. Hoerdt shares ownership of the four-year-old son of As Promised with Blair Corbeil of Beaumont, Alta., and Dr. Maurice Stewart of Leduc, Alta. Tito Santanna (Jim Marino) finished third.
In addition to winning with Chalk Player, Campbell was also victorious in the weekly $11,000 Open Pace with Jeffrey Elchuk's hot nine-year-old Camluck gelding Sterling Cooper, who was back in action after winning his last start in the Open two weeks ago. The 1-5 favourite went wire-to-wire in 1:56.4 over Read The Proposal (Travis Bowman) and Comes Home First (Jim Marino).
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Fraser Downs.