Number One Hit topped the field of pacers in the $9,000 Lakeshore Cup Invitational featured on the closing day card of the 2022 harness racing season at Leamington Raceway on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 30).
Number One Hit wasn't the number one choice though, overlooked at odds of 14-1. Defying his odds, driver Don Rankin Jr. put the four-year-old pacer on the lead from post three and remained clear on top through fractions of :28.1, :58.1 and 1:28.1 on the way to a 1-3/4-length victory in 1:57 flat.
Number One Hit returned $30 for a $2 win ticket. Recent winners of Leamington's top Preferred 4 class, Life Is Better (Scott Wray) followed in second off a pocket trip and Maddys Credit (Natasha Day) held on for third after going first-over at the half. Bolt Power (Braiden Reibeling), the 3-5 favourite from the inside post, just missed the show spot.
Rankin trains and owns the Somebeachsomewhere-Music Row gelding, who has won four races from 13 outings this year. The victory was the pacer's 10th lifetime from 26 starts and lifted his bankroll to $65,826.
Driver Garrett Rooney added four more wins to his meet-leading total on Sunday, ending the season with 30 victories. Natasha Day had a driving triple to secure a second-place finish in the standings with 25 wins as she pulled ahead of Scott Wray, who finished the meet with 23 victories.
Twenty-year-old Cassidy Schneider wrapped up her first Leamington training title with three-year-old pacing colt Docs Rock (pictured below) providing her 14th win of the meet in Sunday's finale. George Robinson (12 wins) and Stewart McQueen (eight wins) finished second and third, respectively, with both horsemen also sending out winners during the meet-closing card.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Leamington Raceway.