Horses continued to fly from barn to barn as the Brian Jerome Memorial Fall Claiming Series entered its third preliminary with three $15,000 divisions on the Sunday (Oct. 25) card at Rideau Carleton Raceway.
Odds-on favourite Reys N A Rocket rallied from off the pace to score in the first division in a 1:54.4 mile. The six-year-old Mattarocket mare caught cover past a :26.3 opening quarter and drew into contention while second-over through a :56.1 half and three-quarters in 1:25.2. Driver Guy Gagnon launched the Mandy Archer trainee off cover into the stretch to snag the lead and hold off late-charging Old Buck by one-and-a-half lengths to win with pacesetter Sin City Shark fading to third. Jeffery Taylor owns the $2.70 winner but handed ownership to Robert Bernicky as one of two claims out of the opening division.
Alwaysyourway sat fourth past a :27.2 first quarter, swept to the lead before a :56.2 half and began to open his lead to three-quarters in 1:25 in progress to a 1:53.2 victory by four-and-three-quarter lengths in the second Jerome division. Trained by Claude Beausoleil and driven by Richard Simard for owner Johanne Ducharme, the seven-year-old Always A Virgin gelding—who paid $8.50 to win—will race next week for owners Marie Claude Auger and Pierre Marc Longpre and was one of four claimed out of the race. Third-place finisher Barn One, Darcee N and Mister Godro will all start for new connections.
Final-division winner Genesee also launched from second over but off of fractions of :27.2, :58.1 and 1:26.2 to nail pacesetter Mach Messier at the finish by a head in 1:57. But the 11-year-old Bettors Delight gelding who competes for owners Matthew McDonald, Peter Kircher and Kirk Robillard will race for new interests next week along with runner-up Mach Messier. Brandon Buerra claimed the $5.50 trained by Anne Turenne and driven by Tyler Jones.
An early break by odds-on choice Lestenpercent poised tempo-setter Ripped And Ready to go all the way in the $9,200 co-featured Preferred Handicap Trot. Leaving from post 5, driver Pascal Berube landed Ripped And Ready on the point and led pocket-sitter Cheque The Magic through fractions of :27.4, :58.1 and 1:27.1. Seeyou Men mounted a first-over challenge into the final turn but could only take over second as Ripped And Ready rolled clear, hitting the finish six-and-a-half lengths better in a 1:55.3 mile. Cheque The Magic faded to third.
Owned by Dr. Ruth Irving, Ripped And Ready won his sixth race from 12 starts this season and his seventh from 21 overall, earning $113,741. Thierry Vandenplas trains the three-year-old Muscle Mass colt who paid $5.30 to win.
To view Tuesday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Tuesday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway.