Ten horses returned for the second leg of the 2019 Governor's Cup Series at Northside Downs on Saturday (November 2) and in the words of Yogi Berra it was 'déjà vu all over again.'
Of the 10 horses entered, eight finished in the same position they did one week prior.
Southwind Ricardo was last at the half a week ago but a change in tactics didn't change the outcome. Harold Le Blanc, Jr. pointed the six-year-old gelding forwardly off the rail and traded blows with an aggressively-steered Brother John (Randy Getto) through a :28.3 opening quarter and :57.4 half. Southwind Ricardo disposed of that rival, hit three-quarters in 1:28.2 and then held off the attack of Wildcat Jet (Mark Pezzarello) to win by nearly three lengths in 1:59.1. Makes Me Stupid (Redmond Doucet) edged out Wildcat Jet for the runner-up spot.
Harold Le Blanc trains Southwind Ricardo (Dragon Again - Southwind Rio) and co-owns along with Joel Le Blanc of Victoria Mines, William Seymour & Bernie Gillis of Glace Bay, N.S. The six-year-old bay gelding picked up his eighth win of the season in his 24th start, matching his career high from 2017 that spanned 36 starts. His earnings stand at $97,328 lifetime.
Blacky Black will provide the main competition for Southwind Ricardo in the Governor's Cup Final and will surely garner much of the public support as well. The five-year-old gelding and driver Barry Bates took advantage of the rail starting spot and made every call a winning one. Hitting the opening panel in :28.3, Blacky Black backed off the middle section of mile through splits of :58.4 and 1:29.2 before speeding away to win by more than a length in 1:59. In a carbon copy of last week's mile, Accelerator (Greg Sparling) tried to make it interesting late but had to settle for second best. Perfect Major (Mark Pezzarello) closed strongest of all to complete the triactor.
Making his twelfth start for owner-trainer Bates of New Waterford, N.S., Blacky Black (The Panderosa - Black Brinny) boasts a 10-1-0 summary and will surely go to the post as the public choice for his seventh straight start next week.
The $5,000G final of the series, open to horses that are non-winners of $10,000 in 2019 up to and including October 20, 2019, is slated for Saturday, November 9.
To view the charts for the Saturday card at Northside, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.