The five-year-old Santanna Blue Chip stallion Samba Beat dethroned top-class stalwart Shark Week and young phenom Ernesto Delacruz to claim the $13,500 Preferred Pace at Century Mile on Saturday night (Feb. 4).
Shark Week cleared the lead after a :26.4 first quarter from Ernesto Delacruz and endured first-over pressure from Whiplash Smile into a :54.2 half. Driver Phil Giesbrecht moved Samba Beat from last to catch the cover from Whiplash Smile and swung wide of his slipstream past three-quarters in 1:23.3. Shark Week held the lead into the stretch while Ernesto Delacruz mounted a pocket-popping bid in pursuit and Samba Beat hit his best stride late. Samba Beat swept past with the most momentum late to snag a half-length win in 1:52.3 with Ernesto Delacruz finishing second and Shark Week settling for third.
Gerry Hudon trains and co-owns Samba Beat with Monica Hudon and William Andrew. He won his 13th race from 47 starts, has now earned $130,726 and paid $15.20 to win.
The time for the mile matched the local standard for older pacing horses set by Shark Week at the end of November.
Earlier in the card, Electric Amadeus strolled to her sixth win in a row in taking the $10,500 Fillies and Mares Preferred 2 Pace. The seven-year-old daughter of Rockin Amadeus circled to the lead after a :29.4 first quarter and nary broke a sweat at the near-freezing temperatures through a :58.2 half and 1:28 three-quarters. She turned away the first-over challenge of Shoot The Whiskey in the stretch to post a one-length win in 1:55.3 with pocket-sitter Mrs Suhwiggins taking second. Shoot The Whiskey settled for third and Gold Onthehorizon rounded the field.
Brinsley Brooking Lutz trains and co-owns Electric Amadeus, a 13-time winner from 41 outings and an earner of $55,180, with Harvey Jaeger. She paid $3.10 to win.
Trainer Dave Kelly scored a training grand slam and Rod Hennessy scored a hat trick on the Saturday card. Kelly’s wins came with Dialmeup (1:59.1, $4.10), Captain Fireball (1:56.3, $3.30), Eyes On The Prize (1:57.3, $3.60) and Tropical Dragon (1:56, $4.40). Hennessy opened the evening with a win by Ara You Crazy (1:57.4 winning mile, $13.90 to win) and later won with Goodbye Ceia Later (1:56.2, $9.10) and in a dead-heat with Wine Thirty (1:54.4, $3.80).
Harness racing will go on hiatus in Alberta for the next few weeks as action shifts to Century Downs for the spring and summer meet. Century Downs will host its first card of 2023 on Saturday, March 11 and will race only on Saturdays through March and April before adding Fridays in May and select other days through the meet’s conclusion on Friday, Aug. 18. Century Mile will again host harness racing beginning in September.
To view Saturday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results – Century Mile.