Three-year-old pacing filly Yoga Pants stretched her win streak to seven with another dominant victory in the $75,000 final of the Penny Bath Memorial featured on the 2016-17 meet-closing card at Fraser Downs on Saturday (April 22).
Trained and driven by Jim Marino, Yoga Pants fired off the gate from post three to establish the lead ahead of insiders Cays Blessing (Jim Burke) and Tahuya Gameday (John Abbott). The elimination winner powered through a :27.4 opener and clocked a half in :58.3 before drawing off down the backstretch. Up by two and half lengths at the third quarter mark in 1:26.2, Yoga Pants resisted her late-challengers down the stretch to win in a new lifetime mark of 1:55.2. Cays Blessing closed inside second for the Marino stable as the 63-1 longshot while the other elimination winner, Tahuya Gameday, launched her attack turning for home, but ultimately was unable to improve her position and finished third with Tricky Bet (Rod Therres) tracking her cover. Cardinal Rule (John Chappell) earned the final paycheque in fifth.
Yoga Pants was the overwhelming 1-9 favourite and paid $2.30 to win.
Now three-for-three on the year, the reigning B.C. divisional champion boasts a win streak extending back to October and is eight-for-nine lifetime (all in stakes action). The lion's share of the purse boosted her earnings to $163,750.
Marino bred the Sportswriter-Lucks Pleasure filly, who is owned by J J J Stables of Prince George, B.C.
Driver Scott Knight kicked off the 2016-17 meet-closing card at Fraser Downs with some fireworks, reaching the 1,000 win plateau.
In the second race on Saturday -- his first drive of the day -- Knight settled the Marino-trained Wrangler Cat away in second as Mach And Roll Baby (Paul Davies) left stoutly from the outside. Knight quickly looped the early leader and was situated in front of the six-horse field by the :29 opening quarter. Wrangler Cat carried on uncontested to the half in :59.3 and looked well within herself down the backstretch. Pureform Pandora (Jim Burke) applied pressure to the pacesetter through the 1:28.2 third panel to increase the tempo and make it a horse race turning for home. Mach And Roll Baby gave chase up the passing lane, Pureform Pandora continued to gain with every stride but Knight would not be denied as Wrangler Cat held on for the milestone win by a head in 1:58.3.
A Fraser Downs fixture since the turn of the century, Knight has banked more than $6.1 million in career purses along with his quadruple-digit win total. He was one of B.C. representatives in the 2014 Western Regional Driving Championship and also was named a co-winner of the 2009 BCSA Horseman of the Year, awarded for horsemanship, success on the track, integrity and community involvement and work to improve the industry. He was also B.C.'s Trainer of the Year in 2013 for trainers with more than 250 starts.
In other action, Get Thereovernight claimed the final $11,000 Open event of the meet for trainer/driver Kelly Hoerdt and his fellow Alberta co-owners, Peter Giannakopoulos and Blair Corbeil.
Get Thereovernight, the 3-1 second wagering choice, gave way to the pocket-pulling 1-2 favourite, Illwinifican (Jim Burke), after the :27.2 opening quarter and played follow-the-leader through middle splits of :56.4 and 1:25.1 before re-taking the lead down the homestretch to win by more than two lengths in a season's best 1:53.2. Illwinifican settled for second-place while Premium Stock (Paul Davies) finished third.
Get Thereovernight paid $8.40 to win. The Clintons Cigar-Express Overnite gelding, who has won half of his six starts during his six-year-old campaign, now boasts 20 victories lifetime and a bankroll totalling $212,669.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Fraser Downs.