Stonebridge Wish made a round trip to victory lane at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Thursday evening, but winning the $13,000 Preferred Pace wasn’t an easy task
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Sent off as the 4-5 choice in the nine-horse affair, Stonebridge Wish was forced to survive a first-over journey en route to notching his second win-in-a-row for Team Allard. The nine-year-old son of Camluck-Star Crusher chase down pacesetter Armadilo and inched away to win by half a length over that foe in 1:54.3, with third prize going to Cajon Thunder.
Simon Allard engineered the winning trip with the Rene Allard-trained gelding. Rene shares ownership on the 25-time winner with J And A Bianco Holdings Ltd of Bolton, Ont. and Gilles Fleury of Mascouche, QC. The veteran now boasts a 3-1-1 record from 10 trips postward this season.
Thursday’s card also featured a set of $6,700 divisions of the Photogenic Mares Series, and winning their third-round winners were Andro Madi and Barockey.
Andro Madi used her off-the-pace skills to win in 1:59.1 for trainer/driver Rod Zeron. The four-year-old daughter of Shanghai Phil-Rose Damour, who was sent off at odds of 29-1, sprung the surprise over Balliamo and Upfrontandpersonal.
Andre Corbeil of St Andre d’Argenteuil, QC owns the two-time winner who upped her lifetime earnings to $15,950 in the process.
Barockey came through as the even-money favourite in the second division, but she had to maneuver through a wide trip to score the win for trainer/driver Ted McDonald. Parked three wide at the half and three-quarter, the three-year-old daughter of Mach Three-Mystical Maiden then drew off to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Shark Party in 1:59.1. Meet Me Halfway grabbed the show dough.
Julie Ferguson of Greely, Ont. owns the youngster, who now owns a 5-1-1 record in seven starts despite not racing as a freshman. The lion’s share of the purse bumped her cash stash to $18,179.
To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Rideau Carleton Raceway.