The Middlesex County Series continued on Friday night at Western Fair Raceway with multiple first leg winners delivering once again
. The series, featuring second leg divisions worth $7,500 tonight, is for four-year-old and younger Ontario sired pacers and trotters that are non-winners of $10,000 lifetime as of midnight September 1, 2010.
In the pacing series for fillies and mares, Ella V Horse and Amanda Star doubled up while Village Silence and Slumber Land captured the other two splits.
Ella V Horse went wire-to-wire to win in 1:59.2 by two and a half lengths for driver Alex Lilley and trainer-owner Fred Drouillard. The three-year-old daughter of Royal Mattjesty-Kwanzaa beat Grit Lady (Doug McNair) and handed Astrmowin (James MacDonald) her first taste of defeat in five outings.
The Richard Moreau-trained Amanda Star also front-stepped her way to victory in 2:00.2 with Doug McNair in tow. Honey Rider (Alfred Carroll) finished three-quarters of a length behind and Just Got Lucky (Bruce Richardson) was third. The three-year-old Rustler Hanover-Amandajillkillean filly is owned by Ecurie Gaetan Bono Inc. of Montreal, Que.
Village Silence, with Ross Battin in the bike, journeyed first over to break her maiden in 2:00.3, defeating Capris In Motion (Trevor Henry) by a neck. David Rae owns and trains the sophomore daughter of Astreos-Village Secret, who was a runner-up in first round action.
Slumber Land, a four-year-old Island Fantasy-Mattress mare driven by Stuart Sowerby and trained by owner Robert Jenkins Jr., was on top at every call and held off Smiling Angela (Nello Guglielmi) to win for the first time in 2:00.1.
Loverboynik and Warners Speedy Aer were also repeat winners in the pacing series for colts and geldings with Beechwood Wayne and Lauriesace also picking up victories.
With Dave Wall driving, Loverboynik demolished his foes with a nine and a half length romp in 1:57.2. The three-year-old gelded son of Camluck-Broadway Hackett, who earned his fourth straight win, is trained by Bryce Fenn for owner-breeder Souren Hovsepian of Palm Beach, Florida.
Warners Speedy Art and Trevor Henry went all the way to win in 1:57.2 by one and three-quarter lengths over fellow first leg winner L H Lil Count (Doug McNair). The three-year-old son of Modern Art-Decisive Margin is owned and trained by John Warner.
A runner-up to Warners Speedy Art last time out, Beechwood Wayne pulled the pocket after the opening quarter and kicked away by two and three-quarters lengths to win tonight in 1:58.1 for driver Doug McNair and trainer Mark Herlihy. First leg winner Kendal Fresco (Mike Whelan) followed for second with Terrorizer (Trevor Henry) coming in third. John Simeonidis of Ancaster, Ont. owns the three-year-old son of Western Terror-Sanskrit Hanover.
Three-year-old Aces N Sevens-Direct Landing gelding Lauriesace was a five and a half length winner in his division, stopping the clock in 1:57.1. Trevor Henry did the driving for trainer-owner Paul Taylor.
In the trotting series for colts and geldings, Northern Inferno was the only repeat winner as he opened up seven and a half lengths to capture his division over fellow first leg champ Delcrest Mr Joe (Paul Davies). The four-year-old gelded son of Angus Hall-Flame Tamer stopped the clock in 2:01.4 with Bob McClure in the bike for trainer Michael Kwietniowski, who shares ownership with Bill Manes of Rockwood and William Cripps of Acton, Ont.
In another division, Keith Hastie’s homebred gelding Fiesty Jack advanced first up from third past three-quarters and held off Strike Action (Dustin McClure), who rallied three-wide, for the half length score in 2:04.2. Stuart Sowerby engineered the winning trip for the son of Fiesty G G-Softys Girl. J J Blue (Terry Kerr) finished third.
Making his debut in the series, Illusionist K, another Paul Taylor trainee, launched an attack en route to the third quarter mark and out-sprinted pacesetter Gator Ally (Henry Wilson) to earn his first win in 2:01.1 by over a length. First leg winner Willful (Dave Wall) finished over seven lengths back in third. The three-year-old Kadabra-Dream Again colt is owned and bred by American Winner Inc. of Leechburg, Pennsilvania.
Trotting fillies and mares will face off in three second leg of the Middlesex County Series on Saturday night. The program will also feature the $167,000 Forest City Pace and a $40,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold elimination for three-year-old pacing colts.
The $40,000 (added) finals of the Middlesex County Series are slated for Saturday, November 6 at Western Fair.
To view Friday's results, click here.