Stakes stars were out in full force during Thursday’s 12-race card at Fraser Downs, as two-year-old pacing fillies battled in round two of the Betty Millbank Memorial and three-year-old colt and gelding pacers slugged it out in the second leg of the Robert Murphy Breeders Stake.
Badlands Palace was the only repeat winner thanks to her 2:00 triumph in her $15,000 Betty Millbank Memorial division. The daughter of Badlands Hanover-Crystal Palace took charge in the backstretch and drew clear to win by 4-1/4 lengths over Stylomilohos, with Orangevale Gazette finishing third.
Trained and driven to the win by Paul Davies, the odds-on favourite improved her freshman record to 3-3-1 from nine starts. Donald Richardson of Cochrane, AB owns the career winner of $26,300.
Lil Beach turned a two-hole trip into a 1:59 score in the other division for trainer/driver Rod Therres. The daughter of Lil Dude Starrbuck-Greek Beach stalked race favourite Yoga Pants through fractions of :27.3, 1:00 and 1:29.1 before firing home in :29.2 to step past that foe in the late going. Lil Beach wound up winning by a pair of lengths over Yoga Pants in 1:59. Keys Please was third best.
Sent off at odds of 6-1, Lil Beach celebrated the maiden-breaking win for B.C. partners Robert Collier of Victoria and Jane Kelly of Langley.
The glamour boys battled earlier on the card, and One Big Cat parlayed a pocket trip into a 1:55.4 victory in his $15,000 division. Paul Davies plugged the pacer into the garden spot while Fire Of The Dragon shot to the top and whacked out fractions of :28.2, :58.4 and 1:26.4. One Big Cat sprinted past that foe and used his :28.4 closing panel to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Fire Of The Dragon. Imrunninonsunshine rounded out the top three finishers.
J J J Stables of Prince George, BC owns the son of American Ideal-Cats Meow, who hangs his harness bag in the barn of trainer Debra Mc Carthy. It was the first win of the season – and the sixth to date – for the career winner of $87,887.
Credit Risk went to the front and didn’t look back in the second division. Nick Roland hustled the gelding to the top spot and together they led the field through panels of :27, :57.3 and 1:26.1 before cruising home in :30.1 to win by 1-1/2 lengths over Bettors Mark in a career-best clocking of 1:56.2. Tito Santanna tagged along to finish third.
Sent off as the 1-5 favourite, Credit Risk won for the fourth time this season for trainer Jim Marino, who shares ownership on the son of Up The Credit-KG Tigress with Brian Moyes, Ian Moyes and Steve Shand. The pacer has banked just shy of $60,000 to date.
To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Fraser Downs.