Sweeping the Open events at Desert Park Raceway, Avas Angel Baby and Outlaw Playmymovie completed a four-win day for trainer Rebecca Kanak on the Sunday, Oct. 4 card while Brandon Campbell dominated on the driving side.
Driven by Scott Knight, Avas Angel Baby stepped up to the $17,000 Fillies & Mares Open Pace in race seven and skimmed the pylons to prevail in a three-way photo finish, completing a streak of three straight wins on the program for Kanak.
Grey Sea (John Abbott), last week's Mares Open winner and the 7-5 favourite, made a splash right from the start, crossing to command and leading the compact field of five through panels of :28.3, :58.1 and 1:28 with Avas Angel Baby following in third behind her stablemate Outlaw Spiced Rum (Brandon Campbell). Turning for home, the Kanak trainees took aim at Grey Sea with Outlaw Spiced Rum tipping from the pocket and Avas Angel Baby closing inside along the pylons. The three mares battled down the long stretch with Avas Angel Baby nosing out Outlaw Spiced Rum and Grey Sea a neck back in third in the 1:57.3 mile over the track rated fast with a one second variant.
A winner on opening day of the meet last Sunday in the $8,000 claiming ranks, Avas Angel Baby upset the top distaffers at 6-1 odds, paying $14 to win.
Claimed for $8,750 at Century Downs at the start of May, Avas Angel Baby has won seven of her 11 starts for Kanak and owners Trevor Williams of Winnipeg, Man., Aurel Vodon of Virden, Man., and Morning Line Inc. of Airdrie, Alta. Lifetime, the six-year-old Sunshine Beach-Absolute Heaven mare has won 13 times while earning $113,739.
Kanak later capped off the 10-race card with Outlaw Playmymovie delivering as the 7-5 favourite in the $17,000 Open Handicap Pace for the same ownership group.
Five-time Sunday winning driver Brandon Campbell worked out a perfect pocket trip for the four-year-old Shadow Play-Purse Movement gelding, tracking Itll Be Fine (David Hudon) through panels of :28.3, :58.2 and 1:27.3 before making his move. Outlaw Playmymovie engaged Itll Be Fine around the final turn and won the stretch showdown, winning by half a length in 1:56.1 with a :28.2 closing kick. Imoutthedoor (Scott Knight) finished six lengths back in third.
Outlaw Playmymovie also boasts back-to-back wins at the new Osoyoos, B.C. track and has won 10 races in 19 starts overall this year for Kanak and company after being claimed for $15,000 at Century Mile in late November.
Kanak is in the midst of a career-best season with 94 wins and more than $500,000 in earnings in her third full year of training. Her other successful Sunday starters were four-year-old pacers Pullaway Ace ($3.30) in 1:56.1 and repeat winner Betterontherox ($4) in 1:58.3. Both were driven by Campbell and both owned by Williams, with Morning Line Inc. sharing ownership on the former.
Pullaway Ace and Outlaw Playmymovie are currently the fastest winners through the first two cards of the inaugural Standardbred meet at Desert Park.
Campbell also drove a pair of Cody Easton trainees, coming back with the meet's first-ever winner Eric Shark ($5.10), and scoring with the mare Vintage Lass ($3.30). He pushed his seasonal win count over the 100 mark and now has 3,087 career victories.
There were two pauses during the program including a delay to the start of the seventh race as EMS tended to an injured patron. There was another delay before the eighth race as an injured horseman required EMS attention. Further updates were not provided by track officials as of press time.
Live harness racing is scheduled to continue next Sunday, Oct. 11 at Desert Park with post time at 2 p.m. (PT).
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Desert Park Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada; headline photo of Outlaw Playmymovie)