This past weekend a very rare occurrence took place at Fraser Downs during Friday's qualifying session.
Three-year-old filly I Jasmin became just the sixth trotter to turn in a charted mile at the Surrey, B.C. oval. The last time a trotter qualified or raced at Fraser Downs was over five years ago.
I Jasmin qualified against pacers and looked very strong in a 2.02.2 mile over the sloppy track, which was rated two seconds off.
The Muscle Mass-Orillia Seelster filly raced in Ontario during her freshman campaign where she won an elimination of the Peaceful Way Stakes in 1:57.1 at Mohawk Racetrack before finishing sixth in the final.
Fred and Shane Maguire broke I Jamin. Last spring, the filly was sent to Fraser Downs to the care of owner/co-breeder Ming Siu and trainer Mike Bourgeois. I Jamin then shipped to Ontario for her two-year-old season. After her season was finished, she was brought home to get ready for her sophomore campaign.
Other trotters that have qualified at Fraser Downs are Jans Van Go (1999), Blue Overcoat (2002), Fox Valley Tex (2003), On Target Hanover (2005) and Pureform Prophet (2008). On Target Hanover is the only trotter to have ever participated in a pari-mutuel race at the track. He made breaks and finished eighth in both of his starts facing pacing foes early in his career.