Workinitonbroadway topped the trotters in Leamington Raceway's featured Preferred 4 for trainer/driver Donnie Rankin while Garrett Rooney dominated the drivers with a five-win performance on Sunday, Oct. 8.
Workinitonbroadway popped the pocket off the final turn in the afternoon's $5,500 eighth race and glided to a three-length victory in 2:01 with Jooner closing off a three-hole trip to take the runner-up honours as pacesetter Ranger Rob (:28.1, :58, 1:29.2) settled for third.
"The pace was good and he got to sit in a long time and he's a classy old horse, he knows what to do," said Rankin, who trains, drives and co-owns Workinitonbroadway with Chris Hadrian.
Since arriving in Canada this summer, the trotter has not missed a cheque competing in the Preferred ranks on Ontario's B circuit. Workinitonbroadway, who won his only other start at the Leamington half-mile oval on Sept. 3, was the 2-5 favourite and paid $2.80 to win in his return.
The seven-year-old Broadway Hall gelding now has 41 career wins and $345,748 in lifetime earnings.
Rooney, Leamington's leading driver of the meet, swept half of Sunday's 10 races and now has a total of 28 wins for a 13-win lead in the local standings over Nick Steward.
Rooney won with Livin Large ($3.50) to top a George Robinson trainee exacta in the third race and went right back out to take the next race with Cameron McQueen's back-to-back winner Rocket Girl ($2.60).
His next victory was in an accident marred sixth race with Dirtiest Piglet ($12.30) unaffected on the lead for trainer Tom Bain. The accident occurred when the maiden three-year-old filly Acefortyfour Diva got steppy racing in the pocket spot and rolled off stride as the field passed the half-mile mark. Most of the pacers were able to get around the breaker, except for Backroad Boogie, who hooked wheels at the back of the pack into the turn, which caused Steward to be jostled from Acefortyfour Diva's sulky. Steward was back on his feet quickly after the incident and resumed driving.
Rooney picked up another win in the seventh race with Century J Rock ($2.50), who completed a training double (two-for-two) for the Michael Carther stable after Rankin drove his Paparazzi Hanover ($7.70) to an earlier win.
Rooney earned his final victory of the day -- and his 194th victory overall this year -- with Ernest Nussio's Faithfuls Nola in the ninth.
To view Sunday's complete harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Leamington Raceway.