Intended Royalty benefitted from the early speed and overtook favourite Woodmere Ideal Art in the stretch to win Truro Raceway's Winners Over Pace featured during the Sunday (Nov. 21) program dedicated to the late Nova Scotia horseman Phil Pinkney.
Truro opened the afternoon card with a tribute to Pinkney, honouring his memory as the O'Brien Award-winning horseman's colours were paraded in the sulky behind a horse for the final time while leading the racing community out to the winner's circle for a moment of silence. The race card was dedicated in loving memory to the incredible horseman, legend and friend.
With Redmond Doucet aboard in the weekly $2,000 top class, Intended Royalty held off the fast-closing 18-1 shot American Risk (Ken Parker Jr.) by three-quarters of a length in 1:57 flat, with Woodmere Ideal Art (Darren Crowe) settling for third after progressing to the lead through a :27.2 first quarter and cutting middle splits of :57 and 1:26.3.
Intended Royalty went three-wide down the backstretch before the first-up Good Friday Three dropped into the open two-hole as Woodmere Ideal Art widened his lead to three lengths. The eventual winner raced up alongside the favourite with an eighth of a mile to go and took over when they hit the stretch en route to his 58th career victory.
Intended Royalty, who is now nine-for-20 on the year, returned $15.10 for the 6-1 mild upset. Randy Copley trains the 10-year-old No Pan Intended gelding and co-owns with Edward Copley of Inverness, N.S.
Earlier on the card, 71-year-old Elmsdale, N.S. horseman Cyril Harvey earned his first driving win aboard veteran pacer Dinger Two.
Harvey, who has driven in 10 pari-mutuel races this year, was parked through the first half-mile with the 11-year-old Arts Card Trick gelding before clearing to command then fighting off 9-5 Saulsbrook Flicka after being headed down the backstretch to win the second race by a half-length in 2:03.4. Sent postward at odds of 11-1, Dinger Two returned $25.80 for the upset.
Henry Smallwood owns and trains Dinger Two, a 27-time career winner who has earned three of those victories this year through 17 starts after a winless 2020 campaign.
Harvey also had a victory as an owner during the program when the Smallwood trainee Pride Of Paradise romped to a four-length score in 2:01.4 in the fourth race. His co-owner, Robert Smallwood, was in the sulky for that $12.90 win.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Truro Raceway.