Riding the hottest stretch of his career, four-year-old pacer Shark Week is most definitely a horse to be feared by his competition each time his name appears in the program.
Sent off as the 1/4 favourite on Saturday (Oct. 8) in the $13,500 Preferred Pace at Century Downs, Shark Week ($2.70) came into this week's start having finished in the top two in his last eight appearances. Driver Mike Hennessy landed Shark Week in the early pocket behind Samba Beat (Phil Giesbrecht) through a spicy :26.2 opening panel and then looped to the lead in front of the fans for the first time.
After a :55.2 half, Shark Week paced confidently in front of his four rivals as Icy Blue Scooter (Nathan Sobey) started the first-over flow down the backside heading to the third station. With the third quarter reached in 1:24, the conditions weren't taxing enough to prompt a retreat from Shark Week. In fact, the public choice opened up daylight with ease heading for the wire. He won by nearly four, tripping the timer in 1:52.2 as the rest battled for minor spoils. Icy Blue Scooter finished second while Bonus Round (Dave Kelly) edged out Crackle N Burn (Kelly Hoerdt) for the show spot.
Shark Week (Vertical Horizon - Shark Gone Bad) is trained by co-owner Rod Hennessy of Falun, Alta., and co-owned by Lorne Duffield of Edmonton, Alta. The win marks the seventh on the season and 15th lifetime for Shark Week, whose earnings topped $166,000 with the lion's share of the purse.
To view the results from Saturday's card of harness racing at Century Downs, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.