The stakes action continued at Fraser Downs on Friday night with the fourth leg of the Robert & Betty Millbank Breeders Stakes for freshman pacing colts and fillies.
Millbanks April and Battle Station were repeat winners while Justnothatintoyou and Ideal Art visited the winner's circle for the first time in their young careers.
Millbanks April earned back-to-back wins in the Betty Millbank Breeders Stakes with a career-best 1:59.1 victory during Friday's leg.
Following up a victory in the Oct. 26 third round, driver James Burke sent the Usher Hanover-G Vs Cam Can filly from second to first after the opening quarter and never looked back en route to the one and a quarter length score. She defeated favourites Fast Lane Ferrari (Serge Masse) and Hurts So Bad (J.F. Gagne).
The win was Millbanks Ariel's second in seven starts for trainer Daryl Bilyk and owner-breeder John Zahara of Aldergrove, B.C. She paid $14.70 to win.
Justnothatintoyou broke her maiden in the second division with a 1:58.2 winning effort for driver Kevin Anderson and trainer Debra McCarthy.
Anderson sent the Power Of Art-Madam Christie filly, who was making just her fourth career start, to the lead from third past the half-mile mark and cruised home to win by one length over favourite Judys Lass (Jim Marino) and Pureform Pandora (Serge Masse). She paid $8.90 to win as the second choice.
Justnothatintoyou is owned by Mark Anderson of Willows, California.
Ideal Art was also a first-time winner, scoring in 1:58.2 during the stakes action for trainer-driver Gord Abbott.
The American Ideal-Athenas Art colt circled a field of five to win his Robert Millbank Breeders Stakes division by more than three lengths. After sitting fifth for most of the mile, he surged home in :29.4 to win over favourites Westridge Warrior (Jim Marino) and One Last Shot (Kevin Anderson).
Ideal Art paid $14.40 to win his fifth career start. He is owned by Seaspray Stables Ltd. of Nanaimo, B.C.
Battle Station was a repeat winner in the following and fastest division, timed in 1:57.4, for trainer-driver John Hudon.
The Red Star Senator-Red Star Cloudy colt sat third for most of the mile before kicking home up the passing lane in :28.4 to prevail by more than three lengths over pacesetter Hesouttamyleague (Kevin Anderson) and Kootenay Positive (J.F. Gagne). The even-money favourite paid $4 to win.
The victory was his second in a row, following up a win in the Oct. 26 third leg. Battle Station is now two-for-six in his career.
In Open racing action, Phone Terror returned to her home track after a brief stint in Ontario and split through horses around the final turn in this week's $12,500 Fillies & Mares feature en route to her eighth win in 15 seasonal starts. Trainer Serge Masse drove the three-year-old daughter of Western Terror to the 1:55.3 narrow score for owners Melissa and Claudine Masse. Jan Rich Girl (David McKellar) inherited the runner-up spot when second-place finisher Just Fiction (Jim Marino) was placed back to third for causing interference.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Fraser Downs.