Not even a former half-mile track world champion could best Blacky Black, as the horse that could lay claim to being the best in Cape Breton captured another weekly feature at Northside Downs on Saturday (October 5).
A field of six pacers was slated to compete in the $1,400 Winners Over pacing event at Northside, but the scratch of Dragons Fire reduced that to five. Blacky Black was facing an import to Northside in the form of Spider Man Hanover, a recent purchase by trainer-driver Gerard Kennedy. Spider Man Hanover set a world record on 2015 Little Brown Jug Day, pacing the Delaware half-mile oval in a time of 1:51.4.
Blacky Black and driver Barry Bates dared the import to take him down, heading to the lead off the gate and pacing through fractions of :27.4, :57.4 and 1:27.3. Kennedy and Spider Man Hanover challenged first-up but could not make a dent in the lead and eventually took a pocket ride to take a shot at the favourite in the stretch but could not get up in time as Blacky Black was more than a length the best with the mile timed in 1:59. Eastview Dexter (Mark Pezzarello) rallied to complete the triactor.
Owned, trained and driven by Bates, Blacky Black (The Panderosa - Black Brinny) picked up the sixth win of his five-year-old campaign and boasts a 6-1-0 record in his last eight outings.
To view the charts for the Saturday card at Northside, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.