Multiple stakes winner Yoga Pants ($3.40) returned to her winning ways on Thursday evening (October 5) at Fraser Downs, proving fastest of 20 three-year-old pacing fillies with a 1:55.3 triumph in her $15,000 division of the Mary Murphy Breeders Stake.
After wins in the $75,000 Penny Bath at Fraser and the $129,080 Lady Luck at Century Downs, the daughter of Sportswriter and Lucks Pleasure was handed her first defeat of the season last week in Edmonton in the $132,390 Northlands Filly Pace.
In her return to the Pacific coast in the night's seventh race, Yoga Pants faced steady pressure from Stylomilohos (Travis Bowman) from the outset, dueling through sectional times of :27.2, :58, and 1:27 before dismissing her outside rival on the final turn. After putting Stylomilohos away, Yoga Pants gradually edged clear of pocket rival Tahuya Gameday (John Abbott) to prevail by 2-3/4 lengths. Primara (Paul Davies) made late inroads to take third.
The 12-time winner is owned by the J J J Stables. Trainer-driver Jim Marino capped a stakes hat trick on the card.
Marino swept both $15,000 divisions of the Robert Millbank Memorial Breeders Stake for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings, sending Dragon Slayer ($2.50, Custard The Dragon-Crystal Palace) to a front-end 2:00.1 victory over first-time starter Machitoutofthepark (Rod Therres) in the night’s second event, and coming right back in the third with Ron Bakardi ($4.20, Badlands Hanover-Artfromtheheart), who held off pocket rival Canadian Pharoh (Therres) for a 1:59.4 debut win. Marino shares in the ownership of the aforementioned pair with the J J J Stables.
In the first Murphy division (race four), Ladies From Hell ($8.60, Travis Bowman) brushed from the pocket with a circuit to go and then held off a late push from Tahuya Countess (Scott Knight) by three-quarters of a length in 1:59.3. Richard Lancaster trains the daughter of Classic Card Shark for Dr. James Findlay.
The J J J Stables completed a stakes grand slam in the final Murphy division of the night (race eight), as their Sustainedintensity ($13.00, Kevin Anderson) made an uncovered last-to-first push through the final circuit to upend pacesetter Keys Please (Therres) by a length in 1:59.3. Mark Anderson trains the daughter of Camystic.
To view Thursday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Thursday Results – Fraser Downs.