Preliminary stakes action was in full swing on Sunday (Oct. 21) at Fraser Downs, as the British Columbia raceway hosted third-leg divisions of both the Robert Murphy Breeders Stakes for three-year-old male pacers and the Betty Millbank Memorial Breeders Stakes for two-year-old pacing fillies.
The Robert Murphy action kicked off the card, as the dashes were programmed as Races 1 and 2 on the 12-dash docket.
The Debra McCarthy-trained and Kevin Anderson-driven One Small Favour ($5.30) got the job done in the first of the Robert Murphy dashes. The gelded son of Sportswriter went straight to the top from Post 5, cut all the fractions (:28.2, :58, 1:26.2), and came home in 28 seconds to post a head victory over the pocket-riding Canadian Pharoh (driven by Rod Therres) in 1:54.3. ACBC (Glenn White) finished third.
One Small Favour has now won five starts this season after 11 starts (he has only missed the board twice) and has banked $46,806 thus far in the campaign. The JJJ Stables’ homebred has now won five of his 17 career starts and banked $54,006 overall.
After being hammered at the windows, the Jim Marino-trained and driven Ron Bakardi ($2.60) left from Post 3, worked out a two-hole ride through the fractions (:27.1, :57.3, 1:26.1), and kicked home in 28 seconds to record a one-length victory in 1:54.4. The Serge Masse-driven Machitoutofthepark, who had cut the fractions, held on for second. The Carl Sibiga-driven Solongo finished third, two and three-quarter-lengths in arrears of the victor, after a second-over journey.
Marino co-owns Ron Bakardi along with JJJ Stables. The Badlands Hanover gelding has now won three of his six seasonal starts, banked $35,800 this season, and has missed the board just once in ’18. Ron Bakardi has now won six of his 12 lifetime starts and has banked $117,050 overall.
Betty Millbank action directly followed the Robert Murphy prelims, as the juvenile pacing fillies took to the track for Race 3 and 4.
After having been sent postward as the public’s 2-1 choice for the first Millbank split, the Rod Therres-trained and driven Ocean Wind ($6.20) went gate to wire (:27.3, :57.2, 1:26.4) from Post 4 and held on for a head win in 1:56.3. The John Chappell-driven Tough It Out did just that, as she closed hard from the backfield to just miss taking all the marbles (she finished second). After a rail start, the Richard Remillard-driven Raging Chihuahua, who had raced first-over, finished third, two and a half lengths in arrears of the victor.
Ocean Wind, who is a bay daughter of Sunshine Beach, broke her maiden with the Sunday victory. She now holds a record of 1-1-0 after three starts and has banked $12,000 for Therres and Veikko Pajunen, both of whom bred the filly.
The second of the Millbank splits was captured by the John Hudon-trained and Serge Masse-driven The Blue Yak ($2.60). The public’s favourite started from Post 2 and paced to a gate-to-wire (:28.4, :59.2, 1:27.4) win in 1:56.1. The Big Jim filly notched a three quarters of one-length victory over the Paul Davies-driven Mrs Suhwiggins. The third-place finisher, Balare Fire Flight (Dave Hudon), was well back in third, as she finished more than 15 lengths in arrears.
The Blue Yak has now won three of her four career starts and has yet to miss the board. She has banked $23,256 for John Hudon, who also bred the filly.
Serge Masse steered his four-year-old Dragon Again gelding Da Magician to a 1:53.1 victory in the $12,000 Open Pace. Also owned and trained by Masse, the $11.80 winner pulled first over from third heading to three-quarters and slid to a length-and-three-quarter victory in the stretch.
To view the harness racing results for Sunday at Fraser, click the following link: Sunday Results – Fraser Downs.