Three-year-old pacers were in the spotlight once again at Fraser Downs as the oval hosted round two action of the Robert Murphy Memorial for colt and gelding pacers in addition to the Mary Murphy for pacing fillies. Each event featured a set of divisions worth $15,000 apiece.
Like A Shadow pushed his winning streak to five in a row thanks to his Thursday evening triumph in the first division of the Robert Murphy Memorial. Brandon Campbell engineered the front-stepping score with the Richard Lancaster trainee.
The son of Shadow Play-Magic Number led through fractions of :27.4, :59.1 and 1:27.4 before using a :28.1 kicker to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Sam The Cat. Third prize went to race favourite Codename Cigar Box.
Enterprises Ltd and Wild Dunes Stables share ownership on the homebred who now boasts a 6-4-2 record from 20 trips to the track. After a slow start to the season, the pacer has now banked over $53,000 in 2021 and close to $65,000 to date.
Kootenay Santanna has now won three straight races thanks to his 1:56 triumph in the second division for male pacers.
Rod Therres rallied the Kyle Chadwick trainee to the easy decision in a time of 1:56. The gelding got away third before making a first over bid on the way to the three-quarter pole. After Just A Rocket Man laid down fractions of :28.1, :58 and 1:26.4 it was Kootenay Santanna who used a :29.1 closing frame to win by 4-3/4 lengths over Hapuna Beach. Chasing Bismarck rounded out the top three finishers.
Sent off as the 1-5 favourite, the son of Santanna Blue Chip-Kootenay Mystic improved his 2021 record to 3-1-1 from eight attempts while pushing his lifetime earnings to $74,038 for owner/breeder Robert Chadwick of Surrey, BC.
The fillies were up next in their set of Mary Murphy divisions, and the opening split went to Exotic Dragon and driver Dave Kelly in a time of 1:57.1.
The Gord Abbott trainee muscled her way to the lead from Post 3 and carved out fractions of :28.4, 1:00 and 1:29 before kicking home in :28.1 to win by 4-1/2 lengths over Inaboysdream. L Ds Contessa rounded out the top three finishers.
The 1-9 favourite is a daughter of Custard The Dragon-Accentuate. Robert Jones of Stony Plain, AB owns the seven-time winner who lifted her career earnings to $109,902.
Crush Me snapped an 0-for-15 start to the season with her 1:57.4 score in the second division for trainer/driver Kelly Hoerdt.
The camera-shy daughter of Betterthancheddar-Western Fancy came first over in the contest and kept digging right to the finish line en route to posting the narrow triumph. After Pretty Please (:28.4) and If Only Id Known (:59.4 and 1:29) took turns on the lead it was Crush Me who kicked home in :28.4 to win by a half-length margin over race favourite If Only Id Known in 1:57.4. Pretty Please was third.
Hoerdt shares ownership on the two-time winner with Brent Bodor of Calgary, AB. The partners watched the pacing lass bump her lifetime earnings to $27,496 with the win.
Earlier on the card a group of five distaffers went postward in the weekly edition of the Fillies & Mares Open Pace, and it was race favourite Moosette working hard to post a 1:55.1 victory for the duo of driver Brandon Campbell and trainer Jim Marino.
The four-year-old daughter of Hes Watching-Legal Suspensory rallied home in :28.4 to capture the $10,000 affair over Rockin Mystery and Mrs Suhwiggins.
Shale Stables of Merritt, BC owns the 11-time winner who now boasts a 9-6-2 record from 21 trips to the track this season. Her earnings are just shy of $73,000 to date.
To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Fraser Downs.