Talk Dirty To Me and James MacDonald converted from the pocket to capture the $13,500 Preferred Pace while Upsidedown and Brad Forward led all the way to the winner’s circle in the co-featured trot Monday at Western Fair Raceway
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In the main pacing event, Talk Dirty To Me slide into the pocket past the sizzling :26.1 opening quarter put up by Proven Lover (Garrett Whelan). The field attempted to keep up with the leader as he charged to the half in :54.2 and three-quarters in 1:23.1.
Talk Dirty To Me managed to the close the three length gap and match strides with the tiring pacesetter around the final turn before forging ahead. The gelding held off Monster In Law (Alfred Carroll) to win in 1:55 by half a length while Pacific Prince (Doug McNair) rounded out the top three.
The winning six-year-old son of Keystone Raider-Prelude To Love won for the first time this year in just two attempts for trainer Zaim Cunmulaj and owner-breeder John Grozenski of Clarkston, Michigan. His 15th lifetime score pushing his bankroll to $166,750.
In the matching Preferred Trot, driver Brad Forward sent Upsidedown, the 9-5 second choice, to the lead from the outside Post 7 and proceeded to click off fractions of :28, :59.4 and 1:30.3 en route to a 2:01 score. Long Ago (Dan Clemmer) finished one length behind off a two-hole trip and Connected Yankee (Doug McNair) followed for third.
Trained by Chris Haskell for owner Cassie Nantais of Windsor, Ont., Upsidedown won his first start of his 11-year-old campaign. The son of Super Star Ranger-M S Val, who connected for his fourth straight win, has yet to finish off the board since joining Haskell’s barn last August. The career winner of 63 races has earned $469,800 to date.
Forward also used front-end tactics to get the job done with Headpoles R Us for Haskell in the $11,500 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace. Leaving from Post 6, the 6-5 second choice crossed over to take the lead during :27.4 opener before being tested by favourite Thebeastfromtheast (Garrett Whelan), who advanced from third and pushed ahead at the :57.3 half.
Headpoles R Us battled back on the inside and disposed of her challenger by three-quarters in 1:26.4. The daughter of Bo Knows Jate-Ashboro extended her lead to two lengths as she crossed the wire in 1:57.1. Stonebridge Celest (Alfred Carroll) rode the pocket to finish second while Shellace (Mike Whelan) came on for third.
The win was Headpoles R Us’s second in three starts this year and fourth in her last five starts. Windsor’s Ron Haskell owns the six-year-old daughter of Bo Knows Jate-Ashboro, a winner of 27 races and $172,034 lifetime.
Race favourite Oakley Seelster and driver Bruce Richardson closed out the Preferred four-pack. The pair came out on top in an early tussle with Button Up (Mike Horner) and led the rest of the way in the $10,000 Preferred 2 Pace. The John Kennedy pupil stopped the clock in 1:56.2, winning by two lengths over Button Up and Kountry Luck (Brad Forward).
Kennedy shares ownership of the Western Maverick-Opening Argument six-year-old with Clayton Walmsley of Walkerton, Ont. Oakley Seelster, who is two-for-four in 2010, has won 23 races over the course of his career good for earnings of $222,106.
To view Monday's results, click here.