A back-to-back winner in the Preferred Trot at Flamboro Downs in late October, R Royal Port was back in the spotlight on Saturday night, Nov. 30 as he delivered a front-end victory once again in the $12,000 feature.
Insanity and Colin Kelly were first to fire off the gate and crossed to command around the opening turn with R Royal Port leaving to his inside and quickly looping to the lead by the quarter pole in :28.2 for Travis Henry. R Royal Port then got a second-quarter breather to the half in :58.3 where Boomandbust and Todd Ratchford moved first-over from third. But that trotter only posed a threat to Insanity for the runner-up honours as R Royal Port remained clear on top past three-quarters in 1:27.1 and kept his foes at bay through the lane, easily winning in 1:57.2. Insanity closed inside down the stretch to reclaim second-place, three-quarters of a length back of the winner at the wire, with Boomandbust settling for third on the outside.
R Royal Port, the 4-5 favourite who was beat less than a length in last week's Preferred, paid $3.80 to win.
Gerard Demers trains the five-year-old Archangel-World Class Izzy gelding, who has put together the first six-figure season of his career with 13 wins from 35 starts in 2024, for owner La Ferme Tag Inc. of Papineauville, Que. R Royal Port is one of just eight trotters with 13 or more wins this year in North America.
Demers doubled up on the nine-race card with six-year-old pacer Odds On Carmel, a recent newcomer to his stable, pulling off a 14-1 upset as he led a field of $8,000 claimers, winning in a season's best 1:56.3 in rein to Austin Sorrie. With that victory, Demers went over the million-dollar mark in seasonal earnings, marking the first time he's achieved that feat since he began training in 2002.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Flamboro Downs.
(Standardbred Canada; photo of R Royal Port from a previous win at Woodbine Mohawk Park)