Eliminations for the Pat Brennan Memorial were conducted on Saturday night at Fraser Downs and three-year-old pacers Kootenay Mike and True Humility each worked out winning trips in their respective $5,000 assignments
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Kootenay Mike crossed over from the outside Post 5 to make the lead before the :28-second quarter pole in the first elimination. Driver Dave Hudon directed the Scruffy Ben-Kii Woman gelding through the remaining panels of :57 and 1:25.4 without facing any challengers and then kicked away by 3-1/2 lengths in the stretch for his third (consecutive) career victory. Kootenay Mike lowered his mark to 1:55 with the winning effort.
Fan favourite Nobody Can (Ed Hensley) was the runner-up and Red Star Rocker (John Abbott) finished back in third.
Kyle Chadwick trains the Kootenay Mike, who returned $5.90 to win as the 9-5 second choice, for owner-breeder Robert Chadwick of Surrey, BC.
With Serge Masse in the bike, True Humility opted to tuck into the two-hole off his Post 5 start in the second division. The gelded son of Usher Hanover-Dal Reo Damsel followed the 1-2 favourite, Dontmakemebeg (Ed Hensley), through fractions of :28.4, :58.3 and 1:27.2 before hauling him down in the stretch. True Humility got his nose to the wire first in a life’s-best 1:56.4 while longshot Red Star Vickers (Mike Bourgeois) finished right there in third.
Trainer-breeder Rod Therres co-owns the three-time victor, who paid $8.50 to win as the 3-1 second choice, with Charles Macfarlane of Victoria, BC.
Furious Five made a backstretch brush in the $10,000 Fillies & Mares Open Pace and went on to post a 10-1 upset giving Serge Masse a driving grand slam on the 12-race program.
Lil Miss Nyalation (David McKellar) won an early tussle for the lead in a :26.4 opener and was at the half in :55.4, where Furious Five tipped first over from sixth. The seven-year-old daughter of Faldo Hanover-Big Five cleared the front past the 1:24.2 three-quarters mark and opened up 4-1/4 lengths on the field before crossing the wire in 1:53.3. Lickcreek Jazzy (Ed Hensley) finished second and Jans Rich Girl (Scott Knight) was third.
The win was Furious Five’s third of the season in 13 outings and pushed her earnings to $21,725. Trained by Masse and owned by Jarm Investments Ltd. of Beaumont, AB, the bay has won 30 times over the course of her career and has banked over $480,000 along the way.
Fraser Downs' leading trainer, Ed Hensley has three wins on the card with Red Star Brooklyn (1:54.4), Winter Bliss (1:55) and Duel N Die (1:55.4).
To view Saturday’s results, click here.