Stash The Cookies capped off a five-win night at Century Mile for driver Brandon Campbell with a wire-to-wire victory in the Friday featured finale, the $14,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Handicap Pace.
Leaving from post four, 3-2 favourite Stash The Cookies chased the gate away to secure the lead over seven other distaffers in the featured affair for Campbell. The John Chappell trainee cruised through fractions of :28.3, :57.2 and 1:25.4 en route to a 1-1/4-length victory in 1:54.2 while first-over challenger Outlaw Sharktastic and Nathan Sobey posed no threat down the stretch. Gold Onthehorizon and Phil Giesbrecht shot through at the rail to finish second over pocket-popper Sunshineatthebeach and Jamie Gray.
Stash The Cookies, who has won two of her last three starts in the Mares Preferred, returned $5 to her backers at the betting windows. A seven-time winner in 24 races this year, the seven-year-old Sunfire Blue Chip-Saucy B mare now has 29 victories lifetime with earnings topping the $300,000 mark. She is owned by Derek Gilbert of Brandon, Man.
Campbell scored back-to-back wins on two occasions earlier on the card. He teamed up with three-year-old fillies Rezies Girl ($8.10) for trainer Jacques Lambert and Ima Beach Diva ($9.30) for the Kelly Hoerdt stable to kick off his winning crusade in races two and three. Campbell also scored with his own trainee Outlawstormywether ($2.70) in race six and then with Portaj ($15.20) for trainer Samuel Johnson in race seven before making his final winner's circle appearance after the ninth race finale.
Campbell's five wins push his 2023 win count to 275 with his 60 scores at Century Mile topping all drivers on the local leaderboard. He ranks among the top five drivers for wins in all of Canada.
The 40-year-old Calgary, Alta. horseman, who became the first driver to record a $2 million season competing exclusively in Western Canada last year, has already broken that record of $2,056,905 in purses, with his current 2023 earnings now over $2.1 million.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Century Mile.
(Photo of Stash The Cookies and Brandon Campbell from a previous win)