France MacLean trainees Deuces And Jacks and Sjs Nitelife finished one length apart in the Not Listed Preferred Pace Saturday at Sudbury Downs
while Wayne MacLean trainees Team Lavec and Vawns Chip prevailed in the second leg of the Iceman Trotting Series.
Deuces And Jacks, with driver Paul MacLean, sat a two-hole trip in the $11,000 feature pace while the Rick Shakes-trained Rush Rules (Gerry Belanger) led the way through fractions of :29, :59.1 and 1:28 with Seawind Gambler (Allan Hohner) first over and Sjs Nitelife (Wayne MacLean) following his cover.
At the three-quarter station, Sjs Nitelife moved three-deep while Deuces And Jacks pulled the pocket and raced into the stretch with only a half-length separating the two stablemates. Deuces And Jacks earned his second straight victory when he stopped the clock in 1:58.2 beating Sjs Nitelife by a length and Rush Rules by three.
Paul MacLean also shares ownership of the Million Dollar Cam-Fit N Fast gelding with Shaun McDonald of Wallenstein, Ont. Now a winner of nine races in 38 starts during his five-year-old campaign, Deuces And Jacks has banked nearly $80,000. His 14th lifetime win bumped his earnings to $344,243.
Saturday’s program also featured two $5,000 divisions of the Iceman Trotting Series for $6,000 claimers. The top point earners will return next Saturday for the $14,400 final.
In the first division, the Wayne MacLean trained and driven Team Lavec front-stepped his way to a 2:02 score with R M Shy (Paul MacLean) applying heavy pressure and ending up second, one length behind. Disappearing Act (Richard Turcotte) was third. The seven-year-old son of Enjoy Lavec, who finishd third in the first round, notched his second win in 18 seasonal starts for Chelmford’s Sophie Carrier.
Wayne MacLean’s Vawns Chip, the odds on favourite after his 10-length romp last week, pulled off a four length score in the second split against fellow first leg winners Mimis Express and Cup O Tea. The nine-year-old son of Pines Chip sat third for most of the mile before sprinting away in the stretch for the 2:01.3 score over pacesetter Robert D (Mario Rivest) and Mimis Express (Justin Turcotte). The victory was his ninth in 27 seasonal starts.
Amidst a career-best season, trainer Mike Lamoureux enjoyed a productive night Saturday scoring three wins on the 13-race program. Full Of Speed (2:01) captured the third race with Darryl Munro in the sulky, Harvest Series winner Owhatabeachbum (1:58.2) won her third straight with Justin Turcotte in the eighth and Themsfightinwords (2:01.4) and David Dowling doubled up in the finale.
Lamoureux also won a division of the Robert Simpson Claiming Series tonight at Georgian Downs.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click here.