Alberta's Challenge Of Champions Night was a showcase of the stars of the 2024 Alberta Sires Stakes season with the top performers taking their divisional Super Final titles on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Century Mile.
Trainer Jamie Gray's homebred Custard Dolce has dominated the two-year-old pacing fillies in stakes action all season long and she extended her win streak to eight in the evening's first of four $80,000 Super Finals.
After letting the dust settle through a :28 opening quarter with a potential threat on his helmet, driver Phil Giesbrecht made his move down the backstretch with 1-9 favourite Custard Dolce and swept from fourth to first by the half in :58.2. Mademechangemymind (Nathan Sobey), the 9-1 second choice, was towed up into contention and offered up a challenge to three-quarters in 1:27.1, but Custard Dolce gave her the cold shoulder and drew off down the stretch to win by 5-3/4 lengths in 1:55 over the 'good' track rated one second off. Imashipwreck (Brandon Campbell) won the race for place, rallying off Mademechangemymind's cover.
"I wanted to let the dust settle a little bit," said Giesbrecht of the winning move down the backstretch. "We were going fairly slow at that point, and I had probably the one that I was more worried about on my back. So I said, I'm going to take my shot and see if we can stretch her legs out down the backside, and she just did the rest. She's an absolute treat to drive."
Custard Dolce's earnings soared past the $100,000 mark, reaching $139,437 after a near-perfect rookie season.
Gray shares ownership of the standout Custard The Dragon-Blue Star West filly with Alberta partners Jackson Wittup of Calgary, Max Gibb of Millarville and Derek Wilson of Heritage Pointe.
"She's been pretty special, really, really special," said Wilson. "Best horse I've ever been associated with, and eight wins in a row is pretty darn sweet. Phil gave her a great drive. Jamie's done a great job with her all year."
Custard Dolce won every stakes race she competed in, with her only loss being a fourth-place finish when she debuted in a maiden race on July 12. In addition to sweeping all three Alberta Sires Stakes legs, her highlights included winning the ASHA Filly Pace in a 1:54 divisional track record at Century Downs.
Custard Dolce paid $2.20 to win as overwhelming bettors' choice.
Driver Phil Giesbrecht swept the two-year-old divisions with the Marie Brooking-trained streaking colt Custers Stand bringing him right back to the winner's circle.
Custers Stand entered the Super Final with some winning momentum of his own, but it was a fight to the finish to deliver the special victory for his connections.
Momas Work Of Art (Serge Masse) got the first call leaving from the inside post with even-money favourite Outlawminutbyminut (Logan Gillis) firing across from post seven alongside in the first turn and taking over command through the :28 opening quarter. Outlawminutbyminut continued to lead the field through a half in :57.3 before Giesbrecht sent Custers Stand first-over from fifth and battled with the favoured pacesetter past three-quarters in 1:27.1. Custers Stand won that duel but had to contend with the re-emerging Momas Work Of Art, who was gaining to his outside. Custers Stand stood his ground through the stretch and was a game 1:55.4 winner by a neck. Westcoast Mccoy (Kelly Hoerdt) trailed most of the mile but closed well to complete the top three more than half a dozen lengths behind.
Bred by James Rhodes of High River, Alta., the Custard The Dragon-China Art colt was a $47,000 yearling purchase at the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association Sale by Dianne and William (Willie) Neish of High River, and Len Denham of Westerose, Alta.
Custers Stand has been a bright spot for the Neish family and it was an emotional victory for his connections as they were able to watch and celebrate trackside after a year of dealing with health issues.
"There's just a lot more to this whole story than just this horse," said Giesbrecht after the race. "It's been a trying year for every person in this family, and our family, with Willie, the way everything's going with him. I'm just so, so happy with this horse. He fought. He fought every inch of that mile today, and it was all him. They did a fantastic job. I'm just so glad I could get the job done for these people."
Custers Stand earned his third (consecutive) win from 10 starts and nearly doubled his bankroll, which now stands at $82,383.
Sent postward as the 2-1 second choice, Custers Stand paid $6.30 to win.
A relentless Outlawguns N Roses continued her wild winning ways in the Super Final for sophomore pacing fillies with regular reinsman Dave Kelly keeping her to task.
Parked from post six early on before landing in the three-hole, Kelly waited until the top of the stretch to make his move with Outlawguns N Roses from behind the duelling leaders, drifting out as usual but making steady gains down the lane to prevail by 3-3/4 lengths in 1:54.3.
Defending Super Final champion Byby Baby Byby (Mike Hennessy) bested the pocket-popping Over Ice (Brandon Campbell) for second after setting fractions of :27.3, :56.4 and 1:25.2.
"She's settled so nicely the last little while that I kind of wanted to be off the pace," said Kelly of his winning trip. "We left out of there trying to get situated half close. And then we landed in the three-hole, and it worked out really well. Because, I mean, when she comes off a helmet, she always kicks and, like I say, she's just relentless. She just comes down the lane and she just tries harder and harder."
Extending her current win streak to five, Outlawguns N Roses paid $2.20 as the 1-9 favourite.
Bred by Outlaw Stable, the Captive Audience-Gunslingin Gal filly is now 11-for-13 with $285,270 in earnings on the year for trainer Rod Starkeweski, who co-owns with Clauzette Byckal of Onoway, Alta. A runner-up in last year's Super Final, she collected her crown following wins in the Alberta Diamond and Princess legs.
Outlawguns N Roses improved her lifetime record to 15-4-0 from 22 starts and increased her bankroll to $380,810.
Glamour boy Grey Horizon asserted his divisional dominence and completed the Alberta Sires Stakes season a Super Final champion for trainer/driver Brandon Campbell.
Campbell set up Grey Horizon for the colt's seventh straight stakes victory when they retook the lead through a :28.3 opening quarter from his stablemate, 74-1 longshot leaver One Hot Minute, driven by Mike Hennessy. The 1-4 favourite remained confident on the lead through a :58.2 half with YYC On The Horizon (Dave Kelly) making progress first-over from the backfield, but Grey Horizon was getting away, up by three lengths at three-quarters in 1:27. Building an insurmountable lead in the stretch, Campbell let the star sophomore coast to the wire while YYC On The Horizon chased in second, finishing 1-1/4 lengths behind the 1:55 winner at the wire. Rum N Custard (Kelly Hoerdt) finished third.
"Once he went by the stablemate going to the half, I thought he was in control, and that was okay. I didn't want him in traffic, didn't want him in trouble," commented George Rogers, who co-owns the roan colt with his Calgary partners Jodi Loftus and Raymond Henry.
A Super Final runner-up as a freshman, Grey Horizon has been a dominant force in the glamour boy division this year, winning nine of his 14 starts, including a last-out victory three weeks ago in the Western Canada Pacing Derby, and earning more than a quarter-million dollars.
"We're thrilled to death to get a win. He's won six in a row coming into this, you never know in a stakes race. You never know in a horse race, period. He's been racing great, at his best. He is the best here, and I think he just proved it tonight. He may not have been at his best tonight, I don't know, but he was good enough to get it done. We're thrilled."
Bred by Gigi Van Ostrand of Okotoks, Alta., the son of Vertical Horizon out of Panagler has amassed $340,725 with 14 wins and six seconds from 22 lifetime starts.
Rogers noted that Grey Horizon will face a new challenge on the horizon.
"I think he's a Meadowlands horse. So that's where he's going. Soon, not for us. We're going to sell."
Grey Horizon paid $2.70 to win.
Saturday's undercard included $15,000 consolations for each division.
Trainer/driver Nathan Sobey's two-year-old pacing filly Captains Hideway ($19.90) had the edge in tight photo finish for place and inherited the consolation victory when the disqualified winner, Hazels Hazelnut, was placed fifth for causing confusion while racing on the lead into the first turn. Her maiden-breaking victory was clocked in 2:02.4.
Two-year-old pacing gelding Carving Credit ($26) cut a 1:58.1 mile to score his first career win in the colt and gelding consolation for trainer/driver Logan Gillis and owner Nicole Hudak.
Trainer Jacques Lambert and Jim Wilson's three-year-old pacing filly Kellys Chase ($6.60) prevailed between a pair of rivals on the line in 1:58 with Phil Giesbrecht in the sulky.
Three-year-old pacing colt Rememberthecustard ($3.40) was a repeat consolation winner, scoring in 1:57.1 with Brandon Campbell picking up the catch-drive for trainer Rod Hennessy and owner/breeder Lorne Duffield. His stablemate, Outlaw Game On, got the nod in a place photo 1-1/2 lengths behind with Mike Hennessy driving.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Mile.
(Standardbred Canada; Photo, clockwise from top left, of Alberta Super Final winners Custard Dolce, Custers Stand, Grey Horizon and Outlawguns N Roses)