Three-year-old pacing fillies Run Way Star and Im The Reason opened Fraser Downs’ Saturday night card with a pair of off-the-pace victories
in their first leg BC Sales Stake divisions.
Run Way Star waited until the stretch before bursting onto the scene in the first $7,500 division. The Camcracker-All Spruced Up filly and trainer-driver Dave Hudon tracked Oral Fixation (Scott Knight) from the pocket through fractions of :28.1, :58.2 and 1:27 before using a :29.2 closing quarter to score. The 1-2 favourite stopped the clock in 1:56.3, holding off a hard-charging Pureform Aurora (K Anderson), the longest shot on the board, by a half length. Camerlengo (Jim Marino) finished three lengths back in third over the pacesetter.
Unraced at two, Run Way Star, who just missed her lifetime mark taken in the Arbutus Stake on September 19 by one-fifth of a second, improved her record to 5-4-7 in 17 starts. She has banked $37,729 so far for owner Bill Boden of Vancouver, B.C.
Im The Reason sat third behind Promisinggoodnews (Jim Marino) and leader Id Rather Be Lucky through a :29 first quarter and :59.1 half before launching her attack. Ed Hensley sent the grey Freedoms Pass-Meeko And Tumba filly, the 3-2 second choice, first-up before the 1:28 third checkpoint and she sprinted home in :29.3 to take the second division in 1:57.3.
Promisinggoodnews finished a length and a quarter behind with favourite Id Rather Be Lucky settling for show.
In her debut season, Im The Reason has compiled a record reading 3-1-2 in nine outings with $12,941 earned for trainer Brent Hill and the Westridge Stable of Aldergrove and the Wild Dunes Stables of Delta, B.C.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click here.