After throttling the Preferred 3 foes he faced last week in London, CIS Buckeye climbed the class ladder Monday and passed his test in the $10,000 Preferred 2 with flying colours at The Raceway at Western Fair District.
Alfie Carroll mapped out a two-hole trip with CIS Buckeye, who tracked Amigo Loco through panels of :28.3, :59 and 1:28.2. CIS Buckeye found clearance in the late stages and used a :30.2 closing panel to win by 2-1/4 lengths over the tempo-setting Amigo Loco in 1:59.1. Tornado Tim swept from last to finish third in the seven-horse affair.
Sent off as the 6-5 favourite, CIS Buckeye won for the 11th time this season for trainer Keith Cullen. James Morency of Windsor, Ontario owns the 25-time winner who pushed his lifetime earnings in excess of $125,000 with the victory.
The undercard featured a set of $6,500 Preferred 3 events, with Bridge On The Kwai and Calgary Seelster winning their respective assignments.
Bridge On The Kwai turned a two-hole trip into a 1:59.3 score at odds of 8-1 for driver Nick Steward and owner/trainer Marty Adler of Amherstburg, Ontario. Steward and the mare tracked Four Twenty Seven through fractions of :28.1, :59.1 and 1:28.3 before angling out of the pocket and using a :30.4 closing quarter to win by a length over race favourite Four Twenty Seven and third-place finisher Savthelstdancforme.
The four-year-old daughter of Angus Hall-Bridgeannika, who was claimed for $15,000 in September, has secured 12 wins this season from 32 starts. The 18-time winner has banked more than $91,000 to date.
Calgary Seelster extended his winning streak to two-in-a-row thanks to his gate-to-wire score for driver Trevor Henry and trainer Wayne Preszcator. The 15-time winner marched to the front from Post 5 and successfully led the field through splits of :27.4, :57.3 and 1:26.3 en route to the 1:57.1 triumph. It was 1-3/4 lengths back to runner-up Leopard King, with Just Crowned taking home the show dough.
Preszcator of London, Ontario owns the OSS graduate who improved his 2013 record to 6-4-1 from 36 starts with the win. He’s put away more than $38,000 this year and close to $200,000 in his career.
To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results – The Raceway at Western Fair District.