Outlawabovenbeyond, the longest shot on the board, surprised 2-5 favourite Stash The Cookies in a photo finish, winning the $12,500 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace on Friday, Oct. 18 at Century Mile.
With Brandon Campbell's trainee Metaki scratched, he picked up the catch-drive on last week's winner If Only Id Known and they got the first call off the gate before Stash The Cookies and Dave Kelly looped to the lead by the quarter in :28.1 and fronted the reduced field of four to the half in :56.2 and three-quarters in 1:25.1.
Meanwhile, 11-1 longshot Outlawabovenbeyond started to edge out of the three-hole in rein to Mike Hennessy as they turned for home with If Only Id Known getting the jump on her in front and Stash The Cookies starting to get away from them all in search of her eighth win against Alberta's top mares this year.
But Hennessy fanned the upset-minded Outlawabovenbeyond out wide for the stretch drive and caught Stash The Cookies on the line with Roulette Hanover and Phil Giesbrecht closing furthest out from the back of the pack and finishing just behind in third. Outlawabovenbeyond earned a new season's mark of 1:53.2.
A fourth-place finisher last week in her first start at the Preferred level, Outlawabovenbeyond returned $25 to her backers at the betting windows for the upset win this time.
Winner of the Bev Sears Memorial at Century Downs this past spring, the four-year-old mare is now eight-for-13 this year, with victories in two of her last three starts this month since returning to action after a summer layoff. The daughter of Captive Audience out of Watchasgirlsgoby has won half of her 24 career starts and nearly $80,000 in purses for trainer Rod Starkewski, who also co-owns with Clauzette Byckal of Onoway, Alta.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Century Mile.
(Standardbred Canada)