Stacey Currie pupil Cheddar Bay charged off a pocket ride to land a 1-1/2-length blow on 6-5 favourite Outlawgrabbingears and win the $13,000 Preferred 2 Handicap Pace on Tuesday (Jan. 25) at The Raceway at Western Fair District.
Outlawgrabbingears took command from post three while Cheddar Bay settled in behind into a :28.3 first quarter. Crosscut came calling first over out of fourth as the tempo slowed to a :58.1 half and continued to apply mild pressure to the pacesetter as they accelerated up the backside to three-quarters in 1:26.1.
Into the final turn, Crosscut started to tire from the wide trip, creating an opening for Cheddar Bay to mount his challenge. Driver J Harris hustled the six-year-old Betterthancheddar gelding out of second heading for home and wore down the pacesetter to stop the clock in 1:55. Outkast Blue Chip closed for third and Icy Blue Scooter settled for fourth.
A homebred for Donald and Heather McGregor, Cheddar Bay won his eighth race from 66 starts, pushing his earnings to $130,264. He paid $14.60 to win.
To view Tuesday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Tuesday Results - Western Fair Raceway.