Sunday night's co-features at Flamboro Downs employed identical winning strategies: make the front end and play catch-me-if-you-can.
In the top trot class of the night -- the $7,500 Preferred 3 Trot -- Hidden Identity made every call a winning one for trainer-driver Pat Hudon. Through panels of :28.3, :58.3 and 1:28.2, Hudon was able to keep favoured Winkys Pride (Scott Coulter) on his back and held that rival off with a :30.2 closer to trip the timer in 1:58.4. Kadabrasnewrecruit (Alfie Carroll) closed stoutly to grab the runner up spot over Winkys Pride.
Hidden Identity (Angus Hall-Chelemark Candy) is owned by Hudon along with Bill Cripps of Acton and Charles Gazzola of Waterloo. The eight-year-old gelding notched his 14th lifetime win and lifted his bankroll to more than $215,000.
A few races later in the $11,000 Preferred 2 Handicap Pace, the same strategy paid off for Mach Pride. Anthony MacDonald engineered the winning drive with splits of :27.2, :57.1 and 1:25.4 before kicking home with a :28.4 final panel for the comfortable length-plus 1:54.3 score over Boomboom Ballykeel (Carroll) and Web Cam (Paul MacKenzie).
Carmen Auciello trains Mach Pride (Mach Three-Cyber Wave), now a 17-time winner, for Michael Virdiramo of Markham, Ont.
For the full charted results from Sunday's card at Flamboro, click the following link: Sunday Results - Flamboro Downs.