The B.C. Stallion Stakes eliminations for three-year-old pacing colts and fillies were featured on a rainy Friday night at Fraser Downs with horsemen Mike Hennessy and Ed Hensley each winning two events
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In the first of two $6,750 eliminations for colts and geldings, inside starter Just Ryan and driver Mike Hennessy, the 3-2 second choice, took control of the five-horse field and carved out fractions of :29.4, :59.3 and 1:29.3 en route to a 1:58.3 victory over a sloppy track, which was rated two seconds slow. Favourite Essentialstandards (Brandon Campbell) finished four lengths behind in second off a pocket trip while Ghostrider (Jim Marino) finished back in third.
Just Ryan picked up his first win in five starts this season. The son of Village Jiffy-Armbro Nerve now sports a career bankroll totaling $26,763 for trainer Robert Merschback and owner Tammie Mosterd of Aldergrove, B.C.
Limit The Risk, the 4-5 favourite in the second colt elimination, delivered on his pari-mutuel promise with trainer Ed Hensley in tow. Leaving from Post 3 in the field which was reduced to four with Shalewewin scratched sick, Limit The Risk could not be caught as he raced past stations of :29.2, :59.1 and 1:28.2 and reached the wire in 1:57.4. Stepuptotheplate (Robert Lancaster) came on for second and Midnight Destroyer (Kevin Anderson) finished third.
The homebred son of Kents On Nuke-Winstar Seelster, owned by the J J J Stables of Aldergrove, B.C. and Alan Anderson of Willows, California, earned his second win six seasonal starts. His career earnings now stand at $17,885.
Hensley kicked off the $7,950 filly eliminations with 1-5 favourite Just Fiction advancing first over to score in 1:59. The Penny Bath Memorial winner sat fourth through early fractions of :30 and 1:00.1 before launching her attack on Oil Town Emelia (James Burke), who was fresh off a victory in the Marian Young Stake. Just Fiction continued to close in on the leader past three-quarters in 1:29 and eventually wore her down for the victory by three-quarters of a length. Oil Town Emelia stayed for second and Imherefortheparty (Jim Marino) was third.
Just Fiction, a runner-up in the B.C. Stallion Stakes as a freshman, earned her third consecutive win from four 2011 starts. The homebred Kents On Nuke-Batalia Hanover filly boasts 10 wins from 12 career starts and a bankroll of $84,515 for the J J J Stables and Alan Anderson.
Leaving from Post 5, Penny Bath Memorial runner-up S R S Annie fired to command and bypassed stations of :28.4, :58.4 and 1:28 before stopping the clock in 1:59 too. The 1-9 favourite and driver Mike Hennessy prevailed by two and a half lengths over Pureform Venue (Carl Sibiga) and Sea Bunny (John Abbott).
Thomas Michael Miller trains and co-owns the Allamerican Cobalt-Red Star Sunbeam with fellow Langley resident Gord Elliott. The victory was her first in seven starts in 2011. Last year’s B.C. Stallion Stakes winner has earned $40,992 lifetime.
In Open action, Cowboy Hanover sat third for most of the mile before kicking home to pull off a 15-1 upset in 1:54.2. The seven-year-old son of Western Ideal-Castanet Hall beat out pocket-sitter Kiss My Cam (Hensley) by half a length while pacesetter Beach Boy Toy (Dave Hudon) finished one length behind in third.
David McKellar was in the driver’s seat for trainer Debra McCarthy and owner Mark Anderson of Willows, California as Cowboy Hanover wrangled his first win of the season in 10 starts. The lion’s share of the $12,500 purse bumped his career bankroll to $179,545.
Hennessy drove four winners on the 11-race program while Hensley scored a training and driving triple.
For results from Friday’s harness racing card, click on the following link: Friday Results – Fraser Downs.