Cowboys Like Us and J Cs Kadabra celebrated upsets in their respective divisions of the Blossom Park Trotting Series, which got underway at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Thursday evening
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Trainer/driver Per Henriksen, who took home last year’s O’Brien Award of Horsemanship engineered the winning trip in the first $10,000 division with Cowboys Like Us, who turned a two-hole trip into a 2:01.3 victory. The nine-year-old son of Conway Hall, who was sent off at odds of 7-1, rallied to win by three-quarters of a length over runner-up Darkon Lavec and third-place finisher Windsun Tornado.
Patricia Chirrey of Warkworth and Henriksen of Norwood, ON share ownership on the 33-time winner, who improved his 2010 record to 6-5-6 in 33 starts with the win. The $5,000 payday bumped his bankroll to $242,144.
The potent pairing of driver John MacDonald and trainer Sebastien Giroux pulled of an 8-1 upset in the other division with J Cs Kadabra, who stopped the clock in 2:00.1. The five-year-old daughter of Kadabra brushed to the lead shortly after three-quarter pole and held on to win by a half-length margin over Its a Fact Jack. Dreamer II rounded out the top three finishers.
Andre Paris of Montreal, QC cashes the cheques and pays the bills on the career winner of $90,820. The victory was the mare’s fourth of the season and the ninth of her career.
The second leg of the Blossom Park Trotting Series is slated for next Thursday evening at Rideau Carleton Raceway. Divisions will be worth $15,000 apiece.
To view Thursday’s results, click here.