The horses were different but the people in the winner's circle were the same after the two divisions in the opening leg of the Governor's Cup Series on Saturday (Oct. 29) at Northside Downs.
Gentry Seelster and Betterthanbutter paced as a tandem to the wire in the first Governor's Cup Series split, and Gentry Seelster got a head in front to trip the timer in 1:57.4. Gentry Seelster (Mark Pezzarello) sat the pocket behind favoured Betterthanbutter (Zach Mullins) through fractions of :28.2, :58.3 and 1:28.1 and then edged out of the pocket around the far turn. Betterthanbutter fought valiantly in the stretch but the local standout was able to push past the Inverness invader for the victory. Revenant (Adam Lynk) rounded out the top three.
Five-year-old Gentry Seelster (Mach Three - Goddess Princess) is co-owned by trainer Ian MacNeil along with Joseph MacNeil of Ingonish, N.S. and Bernard MacNeil of Miscouche, P.E.I. The stud horse picked up his fifth win of the season and 14th lifetime, lifting his career bankroll to $46,228. He paid $4.70 to win.
Kiss Me Im Irish went gate-to-wire to beat the boys in the second Governor's Cup division, providing Pezzarello and Team MacNeil with the first leg sweep. Pezzarello requested that Kiss Me Im Irish fire off the gate and ahead of her five rivals to gain command early, then the mare paced confidently through panels of :28, :58 and 1:28.2. Thanks to a :30.1 final quarter, Kiss Me Im Irish was able to maintain a two-length advantage on her counterparts for the solid 1:58.3 score. A Better Man (Gerard Kennedy) and favoured Mando Fun (Ryan Campbell) completed the top trio.
The MacNeils own five-year-old Kiss Me Im Irish (Big Jim - First Lady Of Art), now a 24-time winner in her career with $38,746 in earnings.
The second leg of Governor's Cup Series is slated for next Saturday (Nov. 5) with the $5,000 Final and $3,000 Consolation taking place on Saturday, Nov. 12.
To view the results from Saturday's card of harness racing in Cape Breton, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.