With the Western Canada Pacing Derby and Northlands Filly Pace on the horizon, some of the top contenders took to the track for some prep races on a frigid Saturday afternoon at Northlands Park
.
Braving temperatures of -20 degrees, Gerry Hudon trainees Bachelor Pad and Hollywood Warrior swept the top two spots in a $7,500 Open for three-year-old male pacers.
Hudon sent Bachelor Pad to the top from Post 3 and led the field of five through opening fractions of :28.4 and 1:00 before being confronted by the pocket-pulling Steal The Diamonds (Travis Cullen).
With Alberta Super Final champion Hollywood Warrior (Keith Clark) moving underway from fourth, Steal The Diamonds was flushed out from the two-hole and went head-to-head with Bachelor Pad as they raced past three-quarters in 1:29.3.
The pair battled on top around the final turn with Hollywood Warrior angling three-wide. Digging in at the rail, Bachelor Pad pulled away to score the 1:58.4 one length triumph over the frozen track with Hollywood Warrior coming on for second. Steal The Diamonds finished three lengths back in third with Silver Eagle (Bill Tainsh Jr.) and Battle River Storm (Kelly Hoerdt) rounding out the field.
Hudon also shares ownership of Bachelor Pad with R. Lynn Kowalevsky of Airdrie, Alta. and Monica Hudon of Edmonton, Alta. The chestnut son of Brandons Cowboy out of Duplex earned his seventh win in 17 starts this year while pushing his seasonal earnings over the $100,000 mark and lifetime earnings to nearly $175,000. He paid $3 to win as part of the 1-5 favoured entry.
In the matching Open for three-year-old pacing fillies, the Lance Ward-trained Just Fiction rebounded from a disappointing break in stride in the Mary Murphy Breeders Stake to prevail over the popular Keith Clark entry of Dewinton Destroyer and Minettas Nightstar.
Driven by Jim Marino, the daughter of Kents On Nuke and Battalia Hanover got away third from an inside start as Reservations Only (Ryan Grundy) and Im Sheila (Kelly Hoerdt) fired off the gate and landed the top spots.
With the lead, 30-1 longshot Reservations Only took the eight-horse field past the opening quarter in :30-seconds and the half in 1:01.4 before Just Fiction swept to command down the backside with Alberta Super Final champion Minettas Nightstar (Keith Clark) angling off the pylons from fifth.
Just Fiction sped past the three-quarters mark in 1:30.3 with Minettas Nightstar moving up into second one length off the lead and Dewinton Destroyer following her cover and then going three-wide.
Just Fiction kept those rivals at a distance as she spun into the stretch and doubled her leading margin. She hit the wire in 1:59.4 for the win. Dewinton Destroyer came on for second while Minettas Nightstar finished five lengths back in third. Shoplifter Hanover (Jamie Gray) and Im Sheila earned the final paycheques in fourth and fifth.
Just Fiction paid $9.10 to win as 7-2 second choice. She has won eight of her 11 races this year including finals of the BC Stallion and BC Sales Stakes. Her earnings climbed to $88,815 this year and passed the $150,000 mark lifetime for her owner and co-breeder, the J J J Stables of Aldergrove, B.C.
Eliminations for the Western Canada Pacing Derby and Northlands Filly Pace will take place next Saturday, Nov. 26 with the $75,000 finals scheduled for the following Saturday, Dec. 3.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Northlands Park.