Stop Calling and Prime Time Bliss, who happened to face each other in a field of $9,000 claimers in mid-December, turned out to be the stars of Sunday's harness racing card at Fraser Downs after scoring wins in the co-featured Open Pace and Abbetross A Claiming Series Final
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Former claimer Stop Calling trounced his Open foes with a wire-to-wire effort in this week's $12,500 top pace early on the Sunday card.
Trainer-driver John Hudon sent the Kents On Nuke-Plain Image N gelding to command from Post 3 and carved out fractions of :27.4, :58.4, and 1:27.1 over the sloppy track en route to the 1:56.3 one length score. At Last and Kevin Anderson, the longest shots on the board at odds of 13-1, advanced first over from fourth at the third quarter mark and came on for second. Favourite Clintons Escape and the freshly crowned O'Brien Award winner Keith Clark finished three lengths back in third off a pocket trip.
Stop Calling paid $11.20 to win as the 9-2 third choice. The victory was the first in two starts this year for the consistent six-year-old, who now boasts a lifetime record reading 19-10-5 in 42 outings with nearly $150,000 earned.
Stop Calling was claimed on Dec. 9 at Fraser Downs for $9,000 by Dr. James Findlay of Maple Ridge, B.C. He has never missed the board in his five outings since.
After being delayed due to recent cancellations at Fraser Downs, the $15,000 Abbetross A Claiming Series Final was contested later on the program with 10-year-old Prime Time Bliss securing a two length score in his debut for new owner Lavender Hills Farm of Langley, B.C.
The Blissfull Hall-Armbro Knots veteran, who was claimed from the Jan. 8 second leg of the series for $5,500, got away third from Post 4 while Hezadilly and Brad Watt blasted to command and put up panels of :27.4, :57.1, and 1:26.4. Driver Jim Marino sent Prime Time Bliss first over midway up the backstretch and swept to command down the stretch for the 1:58.2 two length triumph. Slight favourite Red Star Kash and Tim Brown closed well for second while Hezadilly finished third.
Prime Time Bliss paid $7.10 to win as the 5-2 second choice. Scott Knight trains the bay pacer, who won his first leg division of the series at the beginning of January and now has 41 wins on his lifetime record and close to $270,000 earned.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Fraser Downs.