Paperback Thriller picked up her first win against open company since January, capturing the $8,100 Fillies & Mares Open Handicap Pace on Wednesday (Nov. 25) at Fraser Downs.
Leaving from post five in a field of six, driver Brandon Campbell placed slight second choice Paperback Thriller forwardly off the gate. An early tussle with post six starter and public choice Cusdmagicdragon (Kelly Hoerdt) resulted in a sharp :26.1 opening quarter with Cusdmagicdragon paying a price to obtain the front end. With no challengers, Hoerdt backed down the second quarter to a walk and hit the halfway point in :57.1.
Campbell popped pocket with Paperback Thriller down the backstretch and cleared the early leader with relative ease. Breaking the third beam in 1:25.4, Paperback Thriller then closed in :28.1 to hold off a late bid from a re-emerging Cusdmagicdragon by three parts of a length in 1:54. Sell A Bit N (Scott Knight) completed the triactor.
Owned by Raymond Henry of Calgary, Alta., five-year-old Paperback Thriller (Mystery Chase - Kismet Killean) notched her sixth win of the season in her 25th start. The lion's share of the purse pushes her earnings to $140,080 lifetime. The mare's trainer, longtime participant Robert Merschback, collected his first training win since 2015.
To view the results from the Wednesday night card of harness racing on Canada's west coast, click the following link: Wednesday Results - Fraser Downs.