The Slots Cup Series kicked off on Friday night at Western Fair Raceway with Doug And Dude and Lookin For A Fight extending their win streaks in the first two divisions
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Doug And Dude kept his 2010 record untarnished when he earned his third consecutive win in the first $12,000 division for driver Ryan Holliday and trainer Ken Houston. The four-year-old gelded son of Goliath Bayama-Napal Grace, sent postward as the 2-1 second choice, pulled the pocket en route to the third quarter and nosed out the 3-4 favourite, Seymour Dinomyte (Dave Wall), for a career-best 1:57 victory. Justalittleluck (Nick Steward) went four-wide to get up for third.
Houston, who also bred the bay, shares ownership with Richard McGlynn of Mount Forest, Ont. Doug And Dude is now a winner of three races in seven starts and $13,880 lifetime.
Heavy 1-4 favourite Lookin For A Fight, with Paul MacKenzie in the bike, was a no-doubt-about-it winner in the second division, going wire-to-wire to score by 7-3/4 lengths in 1:56.4. Off The Schneid (Dean Wall) and M A Sailor (Brad Forward) rounded out the top three.
In eight starts this year, the four-year-old gelded son of Cammibest-Shes A Looker has won four straight for trainer Tammey McEneny and owner-breeder the V M B Stable of Hamilton, Ont. Lookin For A Fight’s ninth lifetime victory tonight pushed his career earnings to over $90,000.
With Billy Davis, Jr. in the sulky, Ostinato survived a long first over journey to beat out the boys in the final division in 1:57.4. The 2-1 second choice wore down the pacesetter and favourite, Come N Bet It (Dustin McClure), in the stretch for the 1-3/4 length victory. Longsot Huronexpress (Bruce Richardson) rallied from last to grab the runner-up spot over the pocket-sitting Great Luck (Alfred Carroll).
Jason McGinnis trains and owns the four-year-old daughter of Western Terror-Rojens Patriot with Jeffrey Wellwood of Toronto, Ont. The win was her fourth in 12 seasonal tries and 10th lifetime bumping her bankroll to $83,307.
The six-leg series, for Ontario-sired pacers aged four and under, who are non-winners of $75,000 lifetime as of January 15, 2010, will head to Clinton Raceway for the second leg on May 2 and will continue throughout the summer until wrapping up with a guaranteed $100,000 final on September 11 at Hiawatha Horse Park.
To view Friday’s results, click here.