The decisive move came early, as Buddy Weiser ($7.30) and pilot Serge Masse opted to gun it off the gate in Sunday’s (March 5) $11,000 Open Pace at Fraser Downs. The result was a wire-to-wire win in 1:54.3, which brought a smile to the face of those that opted to back the Western Ideal gelding at the windows.
Carded as Race 2, the Open featured a field of five, which went postward over ‘sloppy’ conditions, which forced the presiding judges to rate the surface as one second slow.
The off-going did not appear to affect Buddy Weiser in any way, shape or form. The career winner of 13 dashes lined up in Post 4, got on his game, and fired out to a one-and-a-half-length lead by the time the quarter-mile marker sprung to life in :27.2.
Buddy Weiser, conditioned by Rod Therres, got a nice 31-second breather in the second panel, as he made his way down to the opening half-mile marker in :58.2. The career winner of more than $110,000 in purses picked it up in the third quarter, as the pride of Vancouver, B.C. owner Veikko Pajunen paced in :27.2 to freeze the three-quarters-of-a-mile clock in 1:25.4.
Buddy Weiser had been on top by one and a half lengths at the three quarters call, and he maintained that advantage at the head of the lane. With Masse in control for the final quarter, Buddy Weiser went on to post a one and a quarter-length margin of victory in the affair. The win was the second of the season for Buddy Weiser, who had made the jump in class after having raced in the conditioned ranks just a week prior.
The post-time choice, Illwinifican (driven by Dennis Johnston), bottomed out the $16.20 exactor after having sat the pocket through the mile. The rail starter, the 3-1 Sabrine Pass (Paul Davies), had come first-up in the third quarter, but could not collar the leaders, and finished in third and bottomed the $40.70 triactor.
To view the harness racing results for Sunday at Fraser, click the following link: Sunday Results – Fraser Downs.