Gotta Have Nukes kicked off the stakes action on B.C. Breeders Classic Day this afternoon at Fraser Downs with a wire-to-wire victory in the first of four B.C. Breeders Stakes, comprising the province's richest day of racing on the calendar.
Leaving from post six in the $75,000 Robert Murphy Breeders Stake for the glamour boy division, trainer-driver Rick White fired the defending B.C. Breeders Stakes champion Gotta Have Nukes across the track to take the lead over Steve O (J.F. Gagne) and carved out fractions of :28, :58.1 and 1:27.2.
Meanwhile, his stablemate Austinlavistababy and Serge Masse applied first over pressure with I Hear Voices (Keith Clark) following his cover and fanning wide around the final turn.
But Gotta Have Nukes opened up three lengths on the field entering the stretch and cruised home for the 1:56.4 triumph. Steve O closed up the inside to finish three-quarters of a length behind while Thieving Magpie (Gord Abbott) followed in third. Austinlavistababy finished fourth.
Gotta Have Nukes paid $4.20 to win as part of the popular entry.
"Around the last turn I knew I had a lot of horse," said White, who bred and co-owns the winner with June Kauffman of Woodinville, Washington. "My other horse was on the outside and kept him brave. I figured the horse to beat was on my back so at the top of the lane I tried to get away from him and I opened up three or four and hung on.
"It feels good," he added. "He's a good little horse and his mother was a good horse."
The Kents On Nukes-Samantha Square gelding now boasts seven wins and two seconds in his 14-race season with sophomore earnings soaring to $106,250.
Driven by Kevin Anderson, Justnothatintoyou drew away from her fellow freshman pacing fillies down the backstretch en route to a wide-open score in the following $75,000 Betty Millbank Breeders Stake.
The lead changed hands a few times as the fillies jockeyed for early position beginning with Millbanks April (James Burke) crossing over from post five ahead of insider Not Listed (Keith Clark). Hurts So Bad (J.F. Gagne) then rolled up to take over at the :28.3 first quarter mark with Justnothatintoyou hot on her heels from their outer posts.
Justnothatintoyou cleared to command in front of the grandstand and began to separate herself from the rest of the field en route to the half in :58.2. She extended her leading margin to six lengths by the 1:28.1 third quarter station with Fast Lane Wealth (Serge Masse) advancing into the two-hole.
Entering the stretch, Justnothatintoyou was all alone on top and pushed her leading margin to 11 lengths as she cruised to the wire in 1:59.1. Pureform Pandora (Travis Tracey) closed up the passing lane and edged by Fast Lane Wealth in a photo finish for second-place honours with Millbanks April right there in fourth.
Justnothatintoyou paid $5.10 to win as the 3-2 favourite.
The homebred Power Of Art-Madam Christie filly is trained by Debra McCarthy and owned by Mark Anderson of Willows, California. She is now two-for-five in her young career with close to $50,000 earned in purses.
Fraser Downs' leading driver Jim Marino worked out a perfect pocket trip aboard Now Playing to capture the $75,375 final of the Robert Millbank Breeders Stake for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Now Playing settled into the two-hole from post five behind Hesouttamyleague (Kevin Anderson) and played follow-the-leader through fractions of :28.3, :58.4 and 1:27.4.
The pacesetter's stablemate, One Last Shot (David Hudon), was parked out first over with Kootenay Positive (J.F. Gagne) advancing past him into third as Battle Station (John Hudon) broke stride during the third panel.
Heasouttamyleague continued to lead the field into the stretch, but Now Playing swept by with the wire approaching to prevail in 1:57.1. Hesouttamyleague settled for second over one length behind while Kootenay Positive followed in third. One Last Shot was fourth.
The 7-5 favourite paid $4.90 to win.
The Usher Hanover-Inez Seelster gelding, a $17,000 B.C. Sale yearling purchase, was bred by Elizabeth and Grant Hollingsworth of Langley, B.C. He is trained by Michael Bourrgeois and owned Charles Merritt of Langley, B.C.
"It was a great trip behind the speed of the race," noted Marino in the winner's circle. "That colt loves the two-hole trip. He's a really nice colt and Mike's done a great job with him. The sky is the limit."
With the victory, Now Playing now boasts three wins and two seconds in five lifetime starts with earnings totalling $65,625.
Marino took home another trophy after guiding his homebred three-year-old pacing Two Stitches to victory in the final $75,000 Mary Murphy Breeders Stake.
Leaving from post four, Marino and his filly got away fifth while an early three-horse battle for the lead developed between the favoured insiders, Cheyenne J (David Hudon) and Fast Lane Wealth (Serge Masse), and Theregoesmyheart (Rod Therres).
Fast Lane Wealth eventually cleared to command past the :27-second opening quarter mark ahead of Cheyenne J with Theregoesmyheart parked out and pressing to the half in :56.2. But down the backstretch, Marino made his move with Two Stitches sending her wide around the stalled Theregoesmyheart and up to challenge the leader.
Two Stitches wore down Fast Lane Wealth, clearing at the 1:26 three-quarters mark and opened up a pair of lengths turning for home. She cruised to the wire in 1:56.2 with Fast Last Wealth holding off Cheyenne J in a photo for place nearly five lengths behind.
Two Stitches paid $15.40 to win as the 6-1 fourth choice.
"It really worked out for me. She got a great trip; they did a little bit of battling on the front end and it all worked out," said Marino, who co-owns and bred the Mordern Art-Thurstons Love E filly with Herbert Boggs of Duncan, B.C. "It's good for Herb Boggs, who came to watch his filly race. It's very satisfying."
After going winless in eight freshman starts, Two Stitches has earned five wins and five seconds in 22 seasonal starts to bank $82,373 in purses this year.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Fraser Downs.