The 2021 B.C. Breeders Classic Day program finally got out of the gate on Thursday evening (Nov. 18) at Fraser Downs after a week-long delay.
Postponed due to starting car issues, the lucrative program featured the four $75,000 B.C. Breeders Stakes finals along with the $35,000 Jim Vinnell Memorial for older horses and companion Lady Elements Stakes for mares.
O'Brien Award-winning driver Doug McNair was in town for the action and had a winner's circle reunion with trainer Dennis Johnston after guiding the B.C. horseman's two-year-old pacing gelding Jimmyachance ($3) to victory in the $75,000 Robert Millbank Memorial.
The duo have teamed up for four prior victories in the B.C. Breeders Stakes finals over the past decade and Jimmyachance provided number five as he prevailed in 1:57.3 over the 'good' track.
Sent off as the 1-2 favourite from the inside post, Jimmyachance had the lead off the gate with 3-1 second choice Joe Rich (Brandon Campbell), undefeated through the three Millbank preliminary rounds, firing from the outside post to take over before the turn. However, McNair moved Jimmyachance back out for retake at the :27.4 first quarter mark and continued to lead the way through a half in :58.1 with Lets Tie One On (Kelly Hoerdt) starting up on the outside on the way to three-quarters in 1:28.4. Lets Tie One On progressed up to second by the stretch and made a late lunge near the wire with Joe Rich closing up the inside, but Jimmyachance persisted for the win, finishing three-quarters of a length in front. Lets Tie On One was second and Joe Rich settled for third. The winner's stablemate, Sammy Santana (Scott Knight), finished fourth.
The victory in the stakes final followed up a pair of triumphs in the preliminary legs and improved his career record to 5-1-1 from seven starts. He's banked $61,925 so far in his career for Johnston and co-owner William Pambrun of Abbotsford, B.C. The gelded son of Big Jim out of Color Me Happy was bred by Shirley Klassen of Abbotsford, B.C.
In the $75,000 Robert Murphy Memorial for three-year-old male pacers, Codename Cigar Box ($6.60) rallied off cover to catch the streaking Like A Shadow in a photo finish for trainer/driver Kelly Hoerdt.
Riding a six-race win streak, Like A Shadow (Brandon Campbell) worked hard from the outside post eight to make front into a :27.2 first quarter before defending divisional champion and 4-5 favourite Kootenay Santanna (Rod Therres) advanced first-up from the backfield to apply pressure through middle splits of :57.3 and 1:26.2. Meanwhile, 2-1 second choice Codename Cigar Box loomed second-over and Hoerdt tipped him three-wide for the stretch drive, getting up in time to defeat Like A Shadow by a head in 1:55.4, with Kootenay Santanna settling for third in between the top two.
A one-time winner as a rookie, Codename Cigar Box has won seven races this year with eight other top three finishes from 17 starts while boosting his career bankroll to nearly $160,000 for Hoerdt and co-owners Fred Gilbert of Brandon, M.B., and Blair Corbeil of Beaumont, Alta. Bred by Surdale Farms Ltd. of Kelowna, B.C., the Custard The Dragon-Art Amour colt was also a Sires Stakes and Moores Mile Breeders Stakes winner in Alberta prior to claiming his B.C. Breeders title.
Following up on a pair of victories in the last two preliminary legs of the Betty Millbank Memorial, Memum Knowsnothing ($5.30) turned in a career-best effort to take all the spoils in the $75,000 final for two-year-old fillies with Glenn White in the sulky.
Memum Knowsnothing settled into third early on as outsider Tin Foil Hat (Kelly Hoerdt) overtook the quick-leaving Hazels Wildling (Tyler Redwood) and carved out fractions of :27.3, :57.3 and 1:26.1. Hazels Wildling got the jump on 8-5 favourite Memum Knowsnothing from the pocket, but the latter filly went three-wide turning for home and drew off by 2-1/4 lengths win in 1:56.2. Angelsonthehorizon (David Hudon), a 54-1 longshot, rallied late to secure the runner-up honours over Hazels Wildling and Tin Foil Hat.
A trainer's claim of foul for interference down the stretch against Tin Foil Hat was disallowed by the judges.
Memum Knowsnothing is now four-for-seven with earnings totalling $61,791. Another Surdale Farms-bred winner, the filly sired by Custard The Dragon out of You Know Nothing is owned by local trainer Rick and Janet White and Wayne Foster of Chilliwack, B.C.
Exotic Dragon ($2.20) dominated the three-year-old pacing fillies, winning the $75,000 final of the Mary Murphy Memorial in a five-length romp for driver Nathan Sobey.
There was a cavalry charge off the gate for the early lead, with defending champion Custard Smoothie (Doug McNair) landing on top through a :26.4 opener before the parked out Exotic Dragon took charge as the fillies headed in front of the grandstand for the first time. The overwhelming 1-9 favourite proceeded to the half in :57.4 and three-quarters in 1:27.1, rebuffing a first-up Crush Me (Kelly Hoerdt) before drawing off for the 1:55.3 victory. Crush Me held on for second over Da Magic Coco (David Hudon), who rallied off her cover after trailing early on.
Trained by Gord Abbott while competing flawlessly in two preliminary legs and the final, the Custard The Dragon-Accentuate filly boosted her bankroll to $155,000 for owner Robert Jones of Stony Plain, Alta. After making just one start as a two-year-old, Exotic Dragon has earned nine wins and seven other top three finishes from 17 outings this year. She also boasts wins in the Shirley McClellan Breeders' Stakes and Alberta Sires Stakes Diamond elimination and final. The filly was also bred by Surdale Farms in partnership with Allan Neurauter of High River, Alta.
Dontpokethedragon ($4.40) kicked off the evening's stakes action in the $35,000 Jim Vinnell Memorial for older male pacers, making a mid-race move that landed him in the winner's circle with a new lifetime mark of 1:51.3.
With McNair picking up the catch-drive, post five starter Dontpokethedragon gave way to Tiempo Hanover (Brandon Campbell), who left to his outside, during a :26.1 opener, before moving back out for the retake at the :55 midway mark. He cleared down the backstretch with fellow elimination winner and the bettors' 4-5 pick Icy Blue Scooter (Nathan Sobey) following outside from third on the way past three-quarters in 1:22.3, but no one could catch the Jim Marino trainee as he steered clear of those foes through the stretch. Tiempo Hanover finished 1-3/4 lengths behind in second towards the inside with Icy Blue Scooter third.
Dontpokethedragon now boasts a dozen victories through 26 starts this year, adding just over $90,000 to his $172,130 career bankroll. Marino shares ownership of the 16-time winner, a four-year-old Custard The Dragon-Rummys Command gelding, with Paul Sanders of Surrey, B.C., and J J J Stables of Prince George, B.C.
Glimpseofgoodness ($28.60) stormed home outside of her rivals to pull off a 13-1 upset as the longest shot on the board in the $35,000 Lady Elements Stakes for pacing mares for trainer/driver Nathan Sobey.
Rockin Mystery (Doug McNair) was gunning for the lead off the gate from post two with insider Mrs Suhwiggins (Kelly Hoerdt) giving way following a brief tussle. After a :27.3 opening quarter, she stole a second quarter breather to the half in :59.4 while 4-5 favourite Moosette (Brandon Campbell) began to advance from the back of the five-pack on the clubhouse turn. Rockin Mystery picked up the pace on the backstretch to three-quarters in 1:27.2 and turned into the stretch with Moosette closing in on the outside and Mrs Suhwiggins up the passing lane, but it was Glimpseofgoodness closing late to steal the glory as she powered past them all with a :27.3 final frame to win in 1:55.3 by 1-1/2 lengths. Rockin Mystery settled for second, with Mrs Suhwiggins edging out Moosette in a show photo.
Glimpseofgoodness picked up her sixth win of the year from 23 starts while lifting her annual income to $48,468 for Sobey and co-owner Paul Davies of Arthur, Ont. A former Millbank competitor, the six-year-old Test Flight-Adorable Killean mare has now won 19 times in her career while earning $136,353.
To view Thursday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Thursday Results - Fraser Downs.