Driver Todd Warren has been back at Rideau Carleton Raceway for barely a week, but he has already started with a bang -- or rather a bomb, as in 'long bomb.'
The 45-year-old Beecher, Illinois native who has over 3,000 lifetime victories, showed his prowess in the 12th race on Sunday, March 27 when he guided Hillside Ace, a gelding who was winless in all of 2010, to an astonishing victory at odds of 91-1.
Starting from the dreaded eight-hole, Warren had no choice but to steer the slow-starting pacer to the back of the bus where he stayed until just past the five-eighths of a mile marker. That’s when he launched a remarkably intuitive attack through heavy traffic, as he elected to wait behind a tiring Double O Seven who laboured while first up.
Other rivals had fanned out four-wide to try and get around Double O Seven, only to find themselves used too hard in the process. The horses which had made those bids faded just in time for Warren to slide to the three-path and run down race favourite, All Systems Go, in deep stretch.
Hillside Ace lit up the tote board with a win ticket that paid $184.30. The exacta combination with All Systems Go returned $1,594.50 and the trifecta bomb of 8-4-3 (Bad Cop) landed a money explosion of $1,095.20
Hillside Ace is owned and trained by Wayne Laviolette of Dunrobin, Ont.
(RCR)