Fraser Downs wrapped up its 2010-2011 season on a rainy Friday night with an action packed, 15-race card of harness racing featuring a pair of B.C. Stallion Stakes for three-year-olds
.
In the $82,837 B.C. Stallion Stake for three-year-old colts and geldings, even money favourite Stepuptotheplate did just that, taking control of the field ahead of second choice Limit The Risk (Ed Hensley) during a :28-second opening quarter. Trained and driven by Richard Lancaster, the Seven Seas Cruiser-Maxillas Memory colt took a second quarter breather as he headed to the half in :58.3. Three-quarters was up in 1:27 with Stepuptotheplate beginning to draw away from the field. He continued to extend his lead to seven and a half lengths as he charged down the stretch to a new lifetime mark of 1:55.3. Limit The Risk held on for second with Cantbeatacheetah (David Hudon) overtaking the first over Essentialstandards (Brandon Campbell) in the final strides to show.
Stepuptotheplate, a runner-up in his elimination to Limit The Risk, has recorded three wins, three seconds and one third in 11 starts during his debut season. The lion’s share of the purse boosted his bankroll to over $53,000 for owner-breeder Leslie Godlien of Surrey, B.C. He returned $4.20 to win.
After settling for a runner-up spot in the colt final, Ed Hensley, who was named top trainer, driver and horseperson of the meet, scored big with his filly Just Fiction.
In the $82,500 B.C. Stallion Stake Final for three-year-old fillies, Oil Town Emelia (James Burke) fired off the gate while 1-2 favoured elimination winner Just Fiction and trainer-driver Hensley dropped into the pocket before the :28.2 first quarter mark. The other elimination winner, S R S Annie (Mike Hennessy), made a quarter pole move from third, but was parked to the :58 half-mile mark and forced to take back to third place once again. Just Fiction continued to chase Oil Town Emelia up the backside and past three-quarters in 1:26.4 in a two horse breakaway. The Kents On Nuke-Battalia Hanover filly pulled the pocket around the final turn and wore down Oil Town Emelia to score in 1:57.1 by three-quarters of a length. Imherefortheparty (Jim Marino) finished seven lengths back in third.
Owned and bred by the J J J Stables of Aldergrove, B.C. and Alan Anderson of Willows, California, Just Fiction won seven of her eights starts as a two-year-old including the Stallion Stake for freshmen. This year, she has won four of five races to push her bankroll over $125,000. Just Fiction paid $3.00 to win.
Earlier on the card, undefeated four-year-old pacing mare Jemmas Jet ($3.00) went wire-to-wire to notch her eighth consecutive victory in 1:55.2 with Jim Marino in the bike for trainer and owner Randy Webster. The four-year-old daughter of Emery Flight-Twice Royal, a Princess Stake winner on Mar. 12, has banked $41,300 during her eight races this year.
Greek Beach provided trainer Scott Knight with his third win on the 15-race card in the $12,500 Fillies & Mares Open Pace. Driven by David McKellar, the six-year-old Astreos-Legal Beach mare swept three-wide down the backstretch and came on to score in 1:55.3 at odds of 12-1. Rossridge Fortune (Keith Clark) and Doober Hoozzitz (Glenn White) were second and third. Owned by Robert Collier of Victoria, B.C., Greek Beech earned her fourth victory in 13 starts this year.
Cash Account ($4.20), the half-brother to Jemmas Jet, closed out the meet with a 1:54 victory in the matching Open Pace for Hensley. The even-money favourite pulled the pocket in the stretch to prevail by three-quarters of a length over pacesetter Killean Cut Kid (Brandon Campbell). At Last (Kevin Anderson) was third. The eight-year-old D M Dillinger-Twice Royal gelding has won three of 13 races this year for trainer Heather Sifert, who co-owns with Calvin Nyuli of Abbotsford, B.C.
For results from Friday's harness racing card, click on the following link: Friday Results - Fraser Downs.