The wins just keep on coming for undefeated Maritime stakes-winning filly Windemere Skye.
After winning her second Atlantic Breeders Crown championship title last weekend, the Earl Watts stable star turned in another dominant display in the Carl & Marg MacKenzie Memorial Stakes for three-year-olds at Truro Raceway on Sunday, Oct. 11 to put her win count at 25.
Windemere Skye won the fastest of the afternoon's four $13,960 MacKenzie Memorial Stakes divisions, besting her eight filly opponents in 1:54.3. With regular reinsman Marc Campbell in the bike, the perfect filly looped early leaver Saulsbrook Carly (Redmond Doucet) for the lead during a :27.3 opening quarter then cruised through middle splits of :57.3 and 1:26.2 en route to the four-length victory as the overwhelming 1-9 favourite. Mattnficent Rose (Paul Langille), the second choice at long odds of 138-1, rallied three-wide around fading cover to place, with 549-1 shot Beach Jewels (Gilles Barrieau) taking third after landing a three-hole trip from the trailing tier. Saulsbrook Carly held on for fourth at 526-1.
Windemere Skye is just shy of a quarter of a million dollars in her sensational career for breeder Windemere Farms of Springvale, P.E.I. and co-owner Matt Burke of Stratford, P.E.I. The victory was the 13th this year for the daughter of Somewhere Fancy and Howmac Missy.
Windemere Skye's winning time was just two-fifths of a second off the track record for three-year-old pacing fillies that was set this past summer in Atlantic Sires Stakes action by Awaysinfullforce, who was back in the spotlight at Truro on Sunday winning the other MacKenzie filly division. Getting her own moment to shine away from Windemere Skye, the Atlantic Breeders Crown runner-up was a 1:55.4 winner this time out at the Nova Scotia half-mile oval. Driver Gilles Barrieau and 1-2 favourite Alwaysinfullforce retook the lead after the opening quarter and won easily by 4-1/4 lengths, with Saulsbrook Fancy (Corey MacPherson) out-finishing Rose Knows Money (Keith Legge) for second.
Mike McGuigan trains the Force N Fury-Toujours filly, a homebred for owner James Whalen Jr. of Vernon River, P.E.I. Alwaysinfullforce has earned nearly $90,000 and is now seven-for-30 lifetime, having achieved six of her wins in her sophomore season.
Windemere Skye's victory was just one of five on the 13-race card for Campbell, who also drove the favoured Jared Perrot trainee McLovin in one of the MacKenzie divisions for sophomore male pacers. The McWicked-Well Shaded gelding journeyed first-over down the backstretch to collar pacesetter Cattle Call (Barrieau) at the wire in a career-best 1:55.2 effort, with pocket-sitter Oceanview Lou (Brodie MacPhee) closing up the passing lane to finish a half-length back in third. McLovin has now hit the board in 17 of his 23 career starts, with seven wins, for owner James Perrot of Stratford, P.E.I.
Shekhan won the other colt and gelding division, prevailing from the pocket to take a new lifetime mark of 1:56 after his Atlantic Breeders Crown runner-up performance last Sunday for driver Redmond Doucet, trainer Mike Ramsay and owner Walter Deagle of Inverness, N.S. The favoured Blood Money-Just Breathe colt won by 1-1/4 lengths over Darbies Fancy (Barrieau), who closed through the passing lane to edge out pacesetter Tobins Gem (Campbell) for the runner-up honours. He improved to 6-4-5 in 33 starts.
Truro also hosted a pair of $9,550 divisions of the Phil Pinkney Memorial Stakes for Nova Scotia foaled or owned two-year-old pacing colts, with the favoured Campbell-driven Wilson Cassidy leading all the way for a 1:59.1 score by 2-3/4 lengths over Blue Farroh (Adam Merner) and Woodmere Achie (Barrieau). A homebred for Sydney, N.S. trainer Kevin Bailey, the Source Of Pride-Circle Of Love colt sports a 50 per cent win record in his 10 rookie stakes starts.
The other division went to gate-to-wire winner Saulsbrook Andy in 1:59.2 with MacPherson aboard for trainer Chris MacKay. Redland Floyd (Legge) followed 2-3/4 lengths behind in second with Little Gussie (Campbell) up for third off the fading cover of favourite Irish Rover (Monica Sutherland). A three-time winner in nine starts, the Somewhere Fancy-Line In The Sand colt is owned by Daniel Gaudreault of Mont-Joli, Que., Mylene MacKay of French River, P.E.I., and Clifford McKenna of Hunter River, P.E.I.
In regular racing action, Fifth Estate and trainer/driver Ernie Laffin denied Bettor On Than Off and Robert Laffin a repeat win in the $2,500 Winners Over Handicap, holding off the favourites by a quarter of a length in 1:56.2 for an 18-1 upset. A 15-time career winner, the eight-year-old Country Estate-In Front gelding is owned by Michelle Lyn Patriquin of Macphees Corner, N.S.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Truro Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada)