The second leg of the BC Breeders Stakes was contested on Friday night at Fraser Downs with two and three-year-old pacers setting up an exciting show for next weekend’s BC Breeders Classic Day
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First leg champions Just Fiction and Imherefortheparty were repeat winners in the two $7,500 Mary Murphy Breeders Stakes second leg divisions for three-year-old pacing fillies.
With Jim Marino in the bike, Just Fiction got away third while Oil Town Emelia (James Burke) took control of the field from the outside Post 5. Oil Town Emelia led the way past panels of :28.4, :59.4 and 1:28.1 with Just Fiction moving underway down the backstretch. The popular daughter of Kents On Nukes-Battalia Hanover wore down the pacesetter in the stretch for her third win in a row and seventh in nine seasonal starts. Tahuya Sonia (John Abbott) followed in the pocket for second while Oil Town Emelia finished third in a dead-heat with Pureform Athena (Carl Sibiga).
Owned and bred by Alan Anderson of Willows, California and the J J J Stables of Aldergrove, B.C., the defending BC Breeders Stake champion has won every stake final she has competed in so far this year including the Penny Bath Memorial, BC Stallion Stake and BC Sales Stake. Her 2011 earnings climbed past the $85,000 mark.
Imherefortheparty and driver Serge Masse were wire-to-wire winners in the next split. The favoured Usher Hanover-Nazko Jesse filly carved out fractions of :29, :59.3 and 1:29 en route to the 1:58 victory. Anjelles Aura (Scott Knight) finished one and a quarter lengths behind off a pocket trip and Millbanks Ariel (Rick White) followed back in third.
Imherefortheparty, who also won her third race in a row, is now five-for-11 this year with over $33,000 banked for her co-owners, breeder Donna Scrannage of Delta, B.C. and trainer Erik Neyhart of Sumas, Washington.
Rick White trainees Thieving Magpie and Gotta Have Nukes -- both first leg winners -- continued the trend by sweeping a pair of $7,500 BC Breeders Stakes second leg divisions for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
With Darren Howald in the sulky, favourite Thieving Magpie settled into third off the gate while Procrastinatinpeat (Dave Hudon Jr.) blasted to command. That colt's lead was short-lived though as Serenity Sam (Rod Therres) pulled the pocket and took over the top spot just past the :29-second opening quarter mark.
Red Star Journey (Gord Abbott) made the first over journey from fifth during the second panel and swept to command as the field passed in front of the grandstand for the first time. He reached the half in :58.2 and three-quarters in 1:28.1 while Serenity Sam moved back to the outside and laid on the pressure.
Meanwhile, Thieving Magpie was positioned second over and rallied three-wide into the stretch. The Usher Hanover-Red Star Finalee gelding sprinted home to score in 1:58.2 by two and a quarter lengths. Procrastinatinpeat finished second with Serenity Sam inheriting third after Red Star Tuff Guy (Serge Masse) came on for third but was placed back to fifth for causing interference in the stretch on Getmethruthenite (Jim Marino). Fourth-place finisher Serenity Same inherited third as a result of the placing.
White trains Thieving Magpie, a winner of three races in four starts and over $16,000, for owner-breeder David Woolley and Freda Woolley of Langley, B.C.
Part of the favoured entry, Gotta Have Nukes and trainer-driver White got away third in the following division while Red Star Cameron (Andrew Arsenault) set up shop on the front end. The eventual fifth-place finisher carved out fractions of :28.1, :59.4 and 1:28.2 while Gotta Have Nukes launched his first over attack. The homebred Kents On Nuke-Samantha Square gelding stopped the clock in 1:57.4 with pocket-sitter Thunder Noise (James Burke) finishing one length behind in second. The winner’s stablemate, Hector Protector (Glenn White), rallied home for third.
Gotta Have Nukes is owned by Rick White and June Kauffman of Woodinville, Washington. The win was his third (consecutive) in four career starts and pushed his bankroll to over $10,000.
The two-year-old pacing fillies who won their first leg divisions of the BC Breeders Stakes also fared well in the second round featuring two $7,500 divisions.
After finishing second by less than a length in the first leg to Mach Maiden Heaven, Te Anau turned the tables on that filly and upended the 3-5 favourite in a win photo.
Outsider Mach Maiden Heaven (Scott Knight) worked her way to command in front of insider Te Anau and trainer-driver Don Monkman Jr. and led the field to the opening quarter mark in :28.4 before backing down the pace. She reached the half in 1:00.1 and three-quarters in 1:30.1 while Alverna (Brad Watt) advanced first over from third and went head-to-head with the leading lady into the final turn. Mach Maiden Heaven shook off that rival into the stretch, but was collared by 3-1 second choice Te Anau, who shot up the passing lane to score in 1:59.2 by a head. Alverna finished third.
The daughter of Usher Hanover-G Vs Cam Can notched her second win in six outings and pushed her earnings to over $13,000 for the Don M JR Stables of Edmonton, Alta.
Cheyenne J went wire-to-wire for back-to-back BC Breeders Stakes wins in the second split for trainer-driver Dave Hudon and owner-breeder Bill Boden of Vancouver, B.C.
The Youdontknowjack-Carson Jane filly, the 3-2 second choice in the field, left from the outside Post 6 and led the way past panels of :29, :59.1, and 1:28.1 en route to the 1:57.1 victory by two and three-quarter lengths. The time of the mile established a new lifetime mark for the two-time winner who has made four starts in her career. British Columbia Sires Stakes champion Slow And Easy (Kevin Anderson), the odds-on favourite, finished second behind Cheyenne J for the second straight week while Yarhos (Darren Howald) followed in third.
Cheyenne J has banked over $18,000 so far in her young career.
Another repeat winner, Gramrun Jake pushed his streak to four in the lone $7,500 Robert Murphy Breeders Stakes second leg division for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Fresh off a sweep of the BC Sales Stakes and another win in his first leg division of the Robert Murphy Breeders Stake, favourite Gramrun Jake hustled to command with Tim Brown in the sulky and cruised past stations of :28.1, :57 and 1:25.2 before kicking away from the field to score by three lengths in a career-best 1:53.3. Boom Shazam (David McKellar) advanced first over to finish second and Crown Isle (Mike Short) was third.
The son of Camcracker-Roxette Hanover, a runner-up in the BC Breeders Stakes last year, is trained and owned by Dan Ingram of Langley, B.C. He has won six of his 16 starts this year while banking over $35,000.
To view Friday’s harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results – Fraser Downs.