The second leg of the Alberta Sires Stakes for two-year-old pacers headlined the Friday, Oct. 10 card at Century Mile, with two divisions of the Alberta Lone Star for colts and geldings and three Alberta Starburst divisions for the fillies.
Kicking off the stakes action in the first $26,800 Lone Star division, Libra Mundi ($8.10) made amends for a miscue in the opening leg held at Track On 2 for driver/trainer Brandon Campbell as the Custard The Dragon-Mater Deo gelding overhauled 3-5 favourite Mayhem N Madness (Jamie Gray) in the stretch to score in a new mark of 1:55 by 2-3/4 lengths, with pacesetter Sharkashark (Logan Gillis) settling for third. Campbell worked out a perfect pocket trip behind fractions of :29.4, :58.4 and 1:27.1 before Libra Mundi kicked home in :27.3 for the victory as the 3-1 second choice. Campbell also shares ownership of the $52,000 ASHA Yearling Sale purchase, who has won half of his six starts, with Calgary's Raymond Henry and George Rogers.
The Great Shark ($2.90), the 2-5 favourite driven by Dave Kelly in the second $27,100 division, doubled up in the Alberta Sires Stakes as he turned back a head-to-head challenge from Chasing Tigers (Campbell) in the final turn then held off the pocket-popper Ruler Of Dragons (Phil Giesbrecht) to prevail in a win photo. The Great Shark clocked panels of :29.1, :58 and 1:27.2 en route to winning the fastest division of the second leg in 1:54.4 by a head. Vladdy G (Gillis) rounded out the top three, nine lengths behind. Brinsley Brooking Lutz trains the Smart Shark-Great Desire gelding, who has made seven starts with wins in his last four, for local co-owner Brent Grundy and breeder Michelle Danroth of Lumby, B.C.
Trainer/driver Jamie Gray took the first two filly divisions with repeat Sires Stakes winner B A Dragon ($3.20) and the maiden-breaking Lovemymockingbird ($9.60).
B A Dragon was on top by the :28.2 quarter and set middle splits of :58.1 and 1:28.2 on her way to a 1:57 victory in her $18,467 division. Terrible Custard (Mike Hennessy) closed in late, finishing a length behind the 3-5 bettors' choice, while Anything Goes (Gillis) was third. The Custard The Dragon-Saucy B filly, who was a $61,000 purchase from the ASHA Yearling Sale and has finished no worse than second in her first five career starts (three wins), is owned by Gray and partners J J J Stables of North Vancouver, B.C., and Paul Sanders of Surrey, B.C.
In the next $18,767 division, Lovemymockingbird retook the lead from 1-2 favourite Dawgonit (Campbell) after a :29.4 quarter before being relegated back to pocket position when Kissin Backwards (Nathan Sobey) cleared nearing the :59 half. Lovemymockingbird, the 7-2 second choice, remained in the two-hole through three-quarters in 1:28.2 but was back out for more in the stretch, flying by Kissin Backwards at the end to win her fourth start by two lengths in 1:57.4, with Dawgonit third. A $20,000 ASHA Sale yearling purchase, the filly sired by Captive Audience out of Kill A Rockingbird is owned by Gray and co-owners Derek Wilson of Heritage Pointe, breeder James Rhodes of High River and Jackson Wittup of Calgary, Alta.
The fastest and final filly division, with a purse of $18,767, was won by trainer Rod Starkewski's Y V Four Roses ($25.20) with Kelly Hoerdt catch-driving. The Vertical Horizon-LKS Nancy Lee filly closed widest of all in a four-across finish for an 11-1 upset in 1:56.4. The fractions went in :29, :58.2 and 1:27.3 with Y V Four Roses tracking in fourth at the rail then moving third-over before kicking home in :28.3 to earn her first win in seven starts for Starkewski and co-owner/breeder Christopher Lambie of Rockview County Alta. She surged one-length clear outside of Blue Star Strike (Campbell), 3-5 favourite Mystery Shooter (Sobey) and Jabba Dabba Doo (Giesbrecht).
The Alberta Sires Stakes two-year-olds will meet again in the third leg on Oct. 15 with the $90,000 (guaranteed) Super Finals scheduled for Nov. 8.
In regular racing action, Bares All ($18.10) won Friday's $16,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace by nearly three lengths in a 1:52 career-best effort for trainer/driver Logan Gillis and owner Todd Teolis of St. Albert, Alta. Her winning time was just one-fifth of a second off the distaff track record. Sitting just off the hot early pace (:27.1, :53.4, 1:22.2), the four-year-old Heston Blue Chip-Skinny Dipper mare circled the tiring leaders, favoured Outlawguns N Roses (Sobey) and Senga Nightmare (Ryan Grundy), pacing clear of those rivals down the centre of the track. Late-closers Poker Queen (Giesbrecht) and Sandras Mystery (Campbell) took second and third, respectively. Bares All earned her ninth career win in 36 starts and now has just over $130,000 in purse earnings.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Century Mile.
(Standardbred Canada; photo of The Great Shark winning on Oct. 10)