Windemere Best Man and trainer/driver Danny Gillis emerged in a blanket finish to take the Winners Over Pace featured on Sunday, Oct. 19 at Inverness Raceway.
All six starters in the afternoon's $2,000 featured finale were in contention racing three-in and three-out after a :28.2 opening quarter through middle splits of :57.2 and 1:28.1. As the field spread across the track down the stretch, Windemere Best Man out-sprinted them all, closing from second-over to score in 1:58.4 by half a length over the dead-heat second-place finishers, front-stepper Whats Up Doc (Keigan Madden) and a from-last Talk Some Smack (Travis MacLean). Early leaver La Playa Deo (Andrew MacLean) and first-up Shir Gain (Rodney Gillis) were less than a length behind with Bettie White (Zach Mullins) rounding out the order.
Following three close calls in his most recent attempts, Windemere Best Man returned to the winner's circle for Gillis and co-owner Beverley McIsaac of Fairview, P.E.I. The Malicious-Art Blanche gelding has now earned eight victories in 22 starts during his seven-year-old campaign and boasts 28 wins lifetime.
Closing out the Sunday action, Windemere Best Man delivered on his 9-5 pari-mutuel promise, paying $5.70 to win, and delivered Gillis his third driving win on the seven-race card.
Earlier in the day, Inverness Raceway honoured 14-year-old pacer Real Bigg with a retirement ceremony in the infield following the fifth race. Through unable to attend for the cooler presentation as he is recovering from an operation, Real Bigg was officially retired by local trainer Lily Watson, who has campaigned the Mister Big-Real Girl gelding since July 2021 through his final start on Sept. 28 and shares ownership with Marla MacKay of Burnside, N.S. In his retirement, the career winner of 33 races and more than $100,000 will be a companion horse and a teaching horse for students learning about animal care at the Agricultural Campus at Dalhousie University.
The 2025 live harness racing season at Inverness Raceway will wrap up next Sunday, Oct. 26 with post time at 1 p.m. (ADT).
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Inverness Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada)