It was a sweet homecoming for driver Billy Davis Jr., who teamed up with trainer Rod Therres to sweep the Robert & Mary Murphy Breeders Stake Finals for three-year-old pacers Monday afternoon at Fraser Downs.
Allittleforplace was triumphant in wire-to-wire fashion for the tandem of Davis and Therres in the $75,000 Mary Murphy Breeders Stake for fillies. The daughter of Allamerican Cobalt-Jennys Place shot to the front from Post 2 and led the field through fractions of :27.1, :58.1 and 1:26.3 before using a :30-second final frame to win by 1-1/4 lengths in 1:56.3. Im Tu Die For was a determined runner-up, and Farside Baby came on strong to finish third.
A scary moment occurred going into the first turn when Not Listed (Michael Munoz) made a break while making a bid for the lead and hooked wheels with race favourite Yanotherhos (Brad Watt). Both drivers were unseated from their racebikes, but early reports indicate the horses and drivers were uninjured in the mishap.
Therres bred and shares ownership on Allittleforplace with partners Blair Miller of Langley, BC. Together they’ve watched her put together a 3-2-1 record from 14 starts this season after going 1-for-2 in her rookie campaign. The lion’s share of the purse lifted her cash stash to $93,933.
Therres and Davis returned to victory lane four races later with Why We Were Chosen in the $75,000 Robert Murphy Breeders Stake for colts and geldings. Just as he did with the Therres-trained filly earlier, Davis put the son of Allamerican Cobalt-Dal Reo Damsel on the lead – and once they got there they never looked back. The colt whacked out panels of :28, :57.3 and 1:26.1 before using a :28.2 kicker to win by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:54.3 over race favourite Ideal Art. I Dont Really Care took home the show dough.
Therres bred and owns the five-time winner, who was unraced as a freshman. The lion’s share of the purse bumped his lifetime earnings to $92,330.
Earlier on the card, Bill Davis clicked with Need You So Bad in the $50,000 Robert Millbank Breeders Stake for two-year-old pacing colts & geldings. The son of American Ideal-Sendingforth survived a first-over journey to win a nail biter by three-quarters of a length over Lisplaced in 1:57.2. Rounding out the top three in the rich tilt was Starrbucks Lildude.
It was the richest payday to date for the gelding, who now boasts an impressive 8-1-0 record from nine starts. The career winner of $50,858 is owned by J J J Stables of Aldergrove, BC.
Run And Tell was a dominant winner in the $50,000 Betty Millbank Breeders Stake Final for two-year-old fillies. The daughter of Power Of Art-Muddy Waters came first-over for driver Kevin Anderson and drew clear to win by three lengths over Jay Majic in 1:57.3. Terrormissu tracked cover and wound up finishing third.
Sent off as the 1-9 favourite in the seven-horse affair, Run And Tell is now 7-for-8 this season for trainer Debra Mc Carthy and owner/breeder Mark Anderson of Willows, California. The $25,000 paycheque increased her earnings to $67.106.
On the undercard, a talented group of nine went postward in the $25,000 Open Pace. Cantbeatacheetah turned a two-hole trip into a 1:53.3 victory for trainer/driver Jim Marino, who stalked pacesetter Just Fiction through panels of :26.3, :55.3 and 1:24 before hauling down that foe in the closing strides. Cantbeatacheetah used a :29.1 closing quarter to win by 1-1/4 quarter lengths over Just Fiction, with Red Star Tyson taking home third prize.
Shelley Eng of Merritt, BC bred and owns the nine-time winner, who now boasts a 4-2-3 record from 19 trips to the track this season. The five-year-old son of Warrawee Hero-Red Star Madeline pushed his lifetime earnings to $93,753 with the win.
To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results – Fraser Downs.