Mares track record holder Daisy Corvette returned to winning form as she circled a field of Preferred distaffers with a quarter-mile to go in Friday night's feature at Century Mile.
With Brandon Campbell picking up the catch-drive for trainer Shanisty Andres, Daisy Corvette trailed the field of six through first-half fractions of :27.3 and :56.3 in the $14,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred. After passing the midway mark, Campbell gave Daisy Corvette her cue and she rushed up to confront the pacesetting Saphire Blue and Phil Giesbrecht by the 1:26.4 third quarter mark then drew off down the lane to score by 2-3/4 lengths in 1:54.1. Sunshineatthebeach and Jamie Gray tracked the winner's cover down the backstretch and chased her the rest of the way to finish second. Outlaw Sharktastic was third off the pocket trip for Nathan Sobey while Saphire Blue faded to fourth.
Daisy Corvette won five in a row this past fall as she climbed from the claiming ranks to the Preferred level for owner Tammy Murschell of Medicine Hat, Alta. The four-year-old Mystician-Yellow Mustang mare now boasts a dozen wins lifetime with $111,802 in earnings.
Coming off a fifth-place effort and runner-up finish in her last two races won by Stash The Cookies (who was not entered on Friday), Daisy Corvette was sent postward as the 4-5 favourite and paid $3.90 to win.
Trainer/driver Dave Kelly enjoyed a productive night sending out three winners from his stable during the eight-race card. After winning the opener with three-year-old filly Riskofthunderstorm ($11.80), the Wheatland County, Alta. horseman took the third race with popular claiming mare Outlaw Allie Oops ($3) and the seventh race with a new acquisition, sophomore gelding Artician ($4.10). Century Mile's season-leading trainer has posted career highs for wins, with 86 overall this year, and earnings, surpassing the $600,000 mark.
Century Mile's festive feature on Friday was a match race between Santa Claus and The Grinch in the track's renewal of "The Race To Save Christmas." For more on the holiday showdown, click here.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Century Mile.