A dozen three-year-old pacing colts and geldings duked it out in eliminations for the $110,000 (est.) Western Canada Pacing Derby during Saturday night's stakes action at Century Mile.
The first of two $14,000 eliminations ended in a three-way photo finish, with local owner/breeder Lorne Duffield's Rememberthecustard prevailing in 1:55 flat by a head over even-money favourite Rum N Custard and One Hot Minute.
Campaigned by the father and son, training and driving duo of Rod and Mike Hennessy, Rememberthecustard stalked in third while One Hot Minute (Brandon Campbell) led the way through fractions of :28, :56.2 and 1:26.1 with Rum N Custard (Kelly Hoerdt) hot on the helmet. Once they hit the stretch, Rum N Custard popped the pocket and battled with One Hot Minute through the lane while Rememberthecustard joined the fray late to get the nod in the win photo. Searching for racing room in the stretch, Blueline Bruiser (Phil Giesbrecht) finished 2-1/2 lengths behind the top trio in fourth and Believe It Sea It (Jamie Gray) was fifth after making a break racing first-over in the final turn.
Rememberthecustard now has five wins -- three this year -- in 25 starts lifetime to go along with seven other top three finishes for $36,971 in earnings. The biggest win yet for the Custard The Dragon-Remember Terror colt was in the $15,000 Alberta Super Final Consolation that capped his seven-race rookie campaign.
Sent off at odds of 5-1, Rememberthecustard returned $13.60 to his backers at the betting windows.
The striking roan colt Grey Horizon struck again as he streaked to a fifth straight win in stakes action with his own 1:55 Western Canada Pacing Derby elimination victory for trainer/driver Brandon Campbell.
Grey Horizon took the lead from post two over insider YYC On The Horizon (Jamie Gray) into a :28.3 opening quarter and stole second quarter breather to the half in :58.3 while Matteuse (Nathan Sobey) launched a serious bid from the back. Matteuse matched strides with the popular pacesetter as they rounded the final turn to three-quarters in 1:27. Grey Horizon shook off that foe in the stretch though and won by three-quarters of a length as he held off the late-charging Outlawstaythecourse (Mike Hennessy) and Hurricane J (Phil Giesbrecht) with YYC On The Horizon shooting up the inside. Matteuse faded to fifth.
A son of Vertical Horizon out of Panagler, Grey Horizon never finished worse than second in eight starts as a rookie and is now seven-for-12 in his sophmore season, boosting his bankroll to nearly $250,000 for Calgary's Jodi Loftus, Raymond Henry and George Rogers.
Grey Horizon paid $2.70 to win as the 1-5 favourite following consecutive wins in the eliminations and finals of the Ralph Klein Memorial and Alberta Sires Stakes Plainsman.
The Western Canada Pacing Derby will be contested next Saturday, Oct. 12 at Century Mile.
Three-year-old pacing fillies prepped for the Derby companion stakes, the Century Casinos Filly Pace, in a $10,500 Open on Saturday with 1-4 favourite Outlawguns N Roses catching pacesetter Over Ice in a photo finish and threatening the divisional track record.
Outlawguns N Roses and driver David Kelly followed loosely in third through first half fractions of :29 and :57.1 before going first-over to press pacesetter Over Ice (Brandon Campbell) as they raced by three-quarters in 1:25.1. Over Ice appeared to shake off Outlawguns N Roses turning for home and was up by three lengths as the latter filly drifted out wide in the stretch, but a resurgent Outlawguns N Roses made it interesting late and got up for her fourth straight win at the wire in 1:53.1, just three-fifths of a second off the track record. Third prize went to Bares All (Logan Gillis), finishing 2-1/2 lengths behind.
Following victories in the Gord & Illa Rumpel Memorial and Alberta Sires Stakes Princess, the Captive Audience-Gunslingin Gal filly notched her ninth win of the season in 11 starts, lifting her lifetime earnings to nearly $275,000, for trainer Rod Starkewski and co-owner Clauzette Byckal of Onoway, Alta.
Two-year-old pacing fillies kicked off the Saturday card in a pair of $25,000 Brad Gunn Stakes divisions headlined by trainer/driver Jamie Gray's homebred Custard Dolce, who extended her own stakes win streak to six in the opener.
Custard Dolce left from post four for early position with Mademechangemymind (Nathan Sobey) crossing in front of the 1-5 favourite through a :28.1 opening quarter and then JK ATM (Logan Gillis) making a backstretch brush from behind to assume command on the way to the half in :57.4. But once Gray pulled the right line on his filly, the race was over as Custard Dolce swept to command in the final turn, hitting three-quarters in 1:26.1, and held clear through the stretch drive to win in 1:55 flat by 1-1/4 lengths in spite of an all-out Mademechangemymind making late gains. Blowing Inthe Wind (Kelly Hoerdt) edged out JK ATM in a show photo five lengths back.
The winning Custard The Dragon-Blue Star West filly has now earned $85,887 from just seven career starts for Gray and Alberta partners Jackson Wittup of Calgary, Max Gibb of Millarville and Derek Wilson of Heritage Pointe.
The favourite also delivered in the the second Gunn division as trainer Rod Starkewski's homebred filly Hot Shot Shark led all the way, setting fractions of :28.4, :58.2 and 1:27.2 en route to a 1:56.2 career-best victory with Logan Gillis aboard. The 4-5 bettors' choice won by 2-1/2 lengths with the runner-up honours going to the late-closing Ahoof Ahead (Serge Masse), who finished just ahead of pocket-sitter Utherockinmyroll (Nathan Sobey).
Hot Shot Shark improved her record to 3-2-0 from seven starts and lifted her earnings to $44,146. The Smart Shark filly is out of Starkewski's former Alberta Horse of the Year, Crackers Hot Shot.
The freshman colts and geldings took their turn in the stakes spotlight in a pair of $25,000 Rocky Mountain Boys Stakes divisions that ended in upsets by first-time winners.
Custers Stand broke through for his first career win in the first division, rallying past the top two favourites in the stretch for an 8-1 score in rein to Phil Giesbrecht.
G Ts Jukebox Jack (Mike Hennessy), the 3-2 favourite, led a strung out field through splits of :28.1, :56 and 1:24.4 but company was coming. His closest pursuer, 9-5 second choice Outlawminutbyminut (Logan Gillis), launched from the pocket but it was Custers Stand who stole the show as he rallied wide from third and went by that pair to win by a widening three lengths in 1:54.1. Outlawminutbyminut was second and G Ts Jukebox Jack held on for third.
The victory followed three on-the-board finishes for the eight-time starter. Marie Brooking trains the maiden-breaking son of Custard The Dragon-China Art for Dianne Neish and William Neish of High River, Alta., and Len Denham of Westerose, Alta.
G Ts Captain Solo pulled off a 29-1 upset in the second Rocky Mountain Boys division as he closed from the backfield to defeat the favourites for driver Mike Hennessy.
The 3-4 favourite, Momas Work Of Art (Serge Masse), made front early and put up fractions of :28, :57.3 and 1:26.2 with 3-1 second choice Hands Off Harry (Nathan Sobey) advancing upto second and getting by the pacesetter late. However, G Ts Captain Solo was just finding his best stride and powered off the cover to prevail over the top picks by one length in 1:56.1.
Trainer Scott McGinn shares ownership of the Captain Deo-GTs Lady Katy gelding with breeders Gerald, Marjorie and Terry McGinn, all of Stony Plain, Alta. G Ts Captain Solo made it to the winner's circle in just his third career start.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Mile.
(Standardbred Canada; Photo of Grey Horizon winning on Oct. 5 at Century Mile)