Ima Dude became the fastest two-year-old pacer in Fraser Downs history during the 2016 edition of B.C. Breeders Classic Day, which was highlighted by $400,000 in stakes finals, on Friday, Nov. 11.
Yoga Pants dominated her two-year-old pacing filly foes in the first stakes event of the afternoon, the $100,000 final of the Betty Millbank Memorial Breeders Stakes, for local horseman Jim Marino.
Yoga Pants and Marino secured the lead leaving from post three and carved out fractions of :27.4, :58.1 and 1:26.1. The 3-2 favourite began to open up on top down the backstretch, but Keys Please (Serge Masse) reeled her in around the final turn and tipped out of the pocket to offer up a challenge down the stretch. However, Yoga Pants held clear of that filly to win in a new lifetime mark of 1:55.4 while 39-1 longshot Stylomilohos (Travis Bowman) held off 9-5 second choice Lil Beach (Rod Therres) in a photo for show.
"My filly kicked in and she's a winner," said Marino, who bred the Sportswriter-Lucks Pleasure filly and shares ownership with the J J J Stables. "She's been a work in progress and I've got a great crew...They do all the work with her and got her good. And also Randy Rutledge, he actually trained her down for me this summer when I was out of town [competing at Running Aces]."
Yoga Pants now boasts four wins and one second-place finish from five career/stakes starts for earnings of $76,250. She paid $5.10 to win.
Ima Dude destroyed the track record for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings with apparent ease, winning the $100,000 Robert Millbank Memorial Breeders Stakes final by open lengths for trainer/driver Brandon Campbell.
Leaving from the inside post position, Ima Dude cruised gate-to-wire without facing any serious threats. He set fractions of :27.3, :58 and 1:25.4 en route to the six and three-quarter length victory in 1:53.4. The former divisional track record was 1:55.2, set by One Big Cat last year.
"This was his last start of the year so I was leaving it all out on the table and I'm really surprised with how well he did it," said Campbell.
Sent postward at odds of 5-1 as the third choice in the wagering, Ima Dude paid $13.20 to win. Bakardi Gold, the 8-5 second choice, finished second for Marino over pocket-sitter Chasing The Girls (Doug McNair). Even-money favourite Mach Steady (Serge Masses) was fifth.
Ima Dude earned his second win to go along with five seconds and one third-place finish from nine starts competing mostly in stakes action at Fraser and Alberta's Century Downs.
"This has been a nice colt right from the get-go," said Campbell, noting that the Century Downs track is a couple seconds slower than Fraser. "The only problem that's been wrong with this horse is me. I like him so much that every start I've been babying him and I just keep getting him in trouble. The game plan was today, if I got the rail or anywhere close, we we're going to let him race. I'm really surprised with how effortless he did it. He just raced so fantastic and I'm kind of shaking my head with all the money I cost myself with babying him around the last three months."
Campbell also acknowledged his crew's work with the colt and his other horses racing today during Century Downs' meet-closing card.
"I've got six in at home today and it's hard to leave with that many and watch other guys drive my horses, but they've been doing a good job there and it doesn't get any better than this," he said.
Bred by Surdale Farms Ltd. of Kelowna, B.C., the Lil Dude Starrrbuck-Ethel Seelster colt now boasts career earnings of $85,649 for his Alberta-based owners Jodi Loftus and Steven Robinson of Calgary, and Timothy Kane of St. Albert.
Doug McNair was back in town for the third straight year competing during B.C. Breeders Classic Day and drove the Dennis Johnston-trained three-year-old pacing filly Mysterious Lady to victory in the $100,000 Mary Murphy Breeders Stakes final.
Parked out from the trailing post nine, McNair moved Mysterious Lady to the lead in front of the grandstand after a handful of fillies battled for the early lead through :26.4 first quarter. Once on top, there was no catching the 4-5 favourite as she carved out middle splits of :56 and 1:26.1 on the way to a new lifetime mark of 1:55 flat. Mysterious Lady won by three lengths over 9-5 second choice No Guarantees (Paul Davies), who rallied out of the three-hole down the stretch to finish second over Jet To The Beach (Glenn White).
"The draw didn't really work in our favour having a nine-hole with a filly like that, but as soon as I made her pace there past the three-eighths, she did the rest on her own," said McNair, who teamed up with Johnston to win three other B.C. Breeders Stakes finals in the past two years. "She felt good, even when I cleared. I thought I had a pretty good shot. We got a bit of a cheap third quarter there and she did the rest.
"She's a nice filly, she's obviously the best one in there," he added.
Johnston trains the Mystery Chase-Lady Motion filly and shares ownership with breeder Ray Thomson of Surrey, B.C. Unraced as a two-year-old, Mysterious Lady now sports a record reading 4-2-1 from eight starts and earnings of $75,786.
She paid $3.70 to win.
Bobby Dazzler defended his B.C. Breeders Stakes title for driver/trainer Clint Warrington Jr., winning the $100,000 Robert Murphy Breeders Stakes final for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Credit Risk (Nick Roland) fired out to the lead from post five through a :26.3 opening quarter, with 9-5 favourite One Big Cat (Paul Davies) moving up on his back in second-place before breaking stride in the first turn and being taken into the safety lane. As Credit Risk raced on, 5-2 second choice Imrunninonsunshine and McNair secured the pocket trip and tracked the leader through middle splits of :56.2 and 1:25.1. However, Bobby Dazzler began to advance first over from fifth down the backstretch and eventually wore down Credit Risk in the stretch for the career-best victory in 1:54.1. Imrunninonsunshine closed through the passing lane to edge out Credit Risk for the runner-up role, finishing one and a half lengths behind the winner.
After the race, Davies launched a drivers claim of foul against Roland for alleged interference on the first turn, but the objection was disallowed following a judges' review and the result was declared official.
Bobby Dazzler returned $9.90 to win as the 4-1 fourth choice on the toteboard.
A two-time winner from six starts as a freshman, Bobby Dazzler has recorded five victories and three runner-up finishes in 10 sophomore starts this year.
"He's starting to learn how to get around this last turn," commented Warrington Jr. after the race. "At one time as a two-year-old, he used to throw in the odd step and he'd over-pace himself, but he's getting pretty good now. He's getting to be a professional."
Taking the lion's share of the final championship purse, Bobby Dazzler now boasts a six-figure bankroll totalling $147,600 for owners David and Freda Woolley of Langley, B.C. The gelded son of Village Jiffy and Dal Reo Millee was bred by Susan Currie of Surrey, B.C.
McNair led all drivers on the 12-race card with four wins, including one for Warrington and three for the Johnston stable.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Fraser Downs.