A pair of $14,000 Preferred events highlighted the Sunday evening program at Rideau Carleton Raceway, with Montreal Phil making a round trip to victory lane over his pacing peers and Silverado Dream scoring a mild upset
in his trotting tilt.
Montreal Phil, who took last week’s main event for pacers in a time of 1:56.1, showed off for the second week-in-a-row thanks to his 1:55 triumph for driver Stephane Gendron. The even-money favourite was on top all the way through panels of :28.1, :57 and 1:26.1 before scooting home in :28.4 en route to the one-length decision. Inspired Art was next best, and Peenie rounded out the top three finishers.
Guy Corbeil trains the six-year-old son of Blissfull Hall for Hudson Standardbred Stb Inc of Hudson, QC. The 2010 season has been kind to the gelding compared to a 2009 campaign that saw him go 0-for-7 while banking a mere $11,960. Sunday’s score was his seventh of the season, and it lifted his yearling earnings to $66,919.
Silverado Dream took the same “catch me if you can” approach in the Preferred Trot for trainer/driver Pierre Bovay, but unlike Montreal Phil – he did so as a 7-1 outsider.
The five-year-old son of Fortuna Winner chopped out splits of :28.1, :58.4 and 1:28.2 en route to the 1:57.3 decision. Three-quarters of a length in arrears was runner-up Canbec Fridolin, with Stella Hall a fast-closing third.
Nicole Bovay Gurtner of Rigaud, QC holds the ownership papers on the gelding who won for the fifth time this season and for the 19th time in his career. The $7,000 payday lifted his lifetime cash stash to $213,014.
To view Sunday’s results, click here.