Mach Maiden Heaven nosed out the popular Theregoesmyheart for her first win of the season in the $15,000 Marian Young Memorial Stake for three-year-old fillies on Saturday night at Fraser Downs
. The stake is for B.C. owned, bred or sired fillies that are non-winners of $12,000 lifetime as of March 1.
Mach Maiden Heaven and trainer-driver Scott Knight settled back in fourth before picking up cover down the backstretch. Meanwhile, Exotic Sparkle (Glenn White) protected rail position early on leaving Theregoesmyheart (Rod Therres) and Fast Lane Wealth (Mike Short) caught three-wide. Theregoesmyheart quickly settled for a pocket ride while Fast Lane Wealth was left parked out to the opening quarter in :28-seconds.
Driving on, Fast Lane Wealth was caught in a battle for the lead with Exotic Sparkle, separating themselves by a few lengths from the rest of the pack. However, Fast Lane Wealth opted to fill the gapping hole in second before the :56.4 half-mile mark.
Once Fast Lane Wealth tucked into the pocket, Theregoesmyheart tipped off the cones and marched first up down the backstretch while Mach Maiden Heaven followed suit. Theregoesmyheart cleared to command at the 1:25.2 third quarter station with Mach Maiden Heaven taking up the chase for top honours.
Mach Maiden Heaven continued her pursuit into the stretch and eventually got up to score by a nose in 1:55 flat. Degas Protege (Rick White) was a quick-closing third, finishing just a half-length back.
Mach Maiden Heaven paid $13.90 to win for the first time in five seasonal outings. The Mach Three-Greek Maiden miss is owned and bred by Lavender Hills Farm of Langley, B.C. She now sports a career record reading 3-2-1 in 10 starts with $21,825 earned.
It was also a battle of give and go in the $12,500 Open Pace, but Nobody Can and Jim Marino had the final word, pulling off a 14-1 upset in 1:54.
After being parked out three-deep during most of the :27.1 opening quarter and then left two-wide, Nobody Can cleared to the lead in front of the grandstand over even-money choice Western Nitro (David McKellar) and inside starter At Last (Kevin Anderson).
But Western Nitro, looking for his fifth win in a row, pulled back out for more and re-took command before the :56 half-mile mark. He led the way to the three-quarters mark in 1:24.4 and spun into the stretch with Stop Calling (John Hudon) first over and Cash Account (Serge Masse) coming three-wide.
Giving it one more go, Nobody Can zipped up the inside for his second win in 10 starts this year. At Last finished second and Midnight Destroyer (John Abbott) rallied from way back on the far outside for third, both three-quarters of a length behind. Western Nitro finished one and a half lengths back in fourth.
Ty O'Neill trains the Kents On Nuke-Battalia Hanover gelding for owner and co-breeder J J J Stables of Aldergrove, B.C. The five-year-old pacer earned his 15th career win and lifted his earnings to $231,926. He paid $30 to win.
In streaking action, Muriel Fornwald Memorial and Penny Bath Memorial stakes winner Phone Terror kept her sophomore record unblemished with a 1:55 score, her sixth straight, for trainer-driver Serge Masse, while Credit Card Junkie, who missed by half a length in her career debut earlier this season before winning non-stop, is up to five wins in a row thanks to a career-best 1:54.4 score for trainer-driver Keith Clark.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Fraser Downs.