Sterling Cooper and horseman Bill Davis made Fraser Downs history on Sunday afternoon with another track record performance in 'sloppy' conditions.
Sterling Cooper scored a 1:50.2 triumph in the $10,500 Open Pace to shave two-fifths of a second off the previous track record that he had matched on January 25, also over an off track. The former record was originally established in September 2009 by Lil Dude Starrbuck.
Leaving from post three, Sterling Cooper took the lead off the gate and carved out fractions of :27.1, :55.3 and 1:23 en route to the 1:50.2 triumph. Sent postward as the overwhelming 1-5 favourite, Sterling Cooper paid $2.70 to win. Blue Star Admiral followed in second and was the only competitor able to keep up with Sterling Cooper before he drew away by four and three-quarter lengths in the final quarter. Gotta Have Nukes trailed over a dozen lengths behind in third.
The seven-year-old Camluck gelding has been a dominant force in the Open ranks since joining Davis' stable. The two-time O'Brien Award-winning horseman liked what he saw watching him race last year and put in a claim on the pacer with Jeff Elchuk when he was in for a price. The partners claimed Sterling Cooper for $15,000 at the end of 2014 and he's since won five of his seven Open starts while earning $27,930, racing with the addition of Lasix.
Sterling Cooper now has 26 career wins along with 23 other top three finishes in 78 starts and $156,288 in purse earnings.
The Sunday afternoon card featured the $35,000 Wendell Smith Memorial Pace for three-year-old pacers just prior to the Open, which was also won by a Davis trainee. Mystic Ruler, who just missed by a neck in his elimination last week, prevailed from the pocket in a new lifetime mark of 1:57.1 over Illwinifican, the slight 6-5 favourite and race leader (:26.4, :56.4 of 1:27.1). The winner returned $5.00 to his $2 backers. Longshot Camita B And E followed four and a half lengths behind in third.
Family members of the late Wendell Smith joined the connections of Mystic Ruler in the winner's circle after the race for the blanket presentation.
Evert Vandenborn owns and bred the Camystic-Tough Promise colt, now a winner of three of his seven stakes starts. The lion's share of the purse more than doubled his bankroll, boosting it to $33,350.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Fraser Downs.