Trainer Jim Marino posted five wins on the Thursday (April 24) card at Fraser Downs including a sweep of the evening's featured races as he won the $10,000 Fillies and Mares Open and both of the $7,500 Penny Bath B.C. Open Stakes Eliminations.
Marino completed his training sweep of the Thursday featured classes with B On The Hunt in the $10,000 Fillies and Mares Open Pace with Philip Giesbrecht in the bike.
Giesbrecht and B On The Hunt got away third off the car, following the two favourites, Grey Sea (John Abbott) and Born A Spy (Brandon Campbell) through the :26.2 quarter and :56 half. En route to the 1:24.2 three quarters, Giesbrecht tipped B On The Hunt to the outside first over on the path towards the front. B On The Hunt quickly advanced to pass the dueling leaders and faced the surge of Outlaw Spiced Rum (Rod Therres) in deep stretch, but the mare prevailed with a win in 1:53.4 by a head. Outlaw Spiced Rum finished second with Grey Sea third.
Paul Sanders owns the five-year-old daughter of Huntsville - Twin B Elite, who won her first race of the year and her ninth career race. In 61 starts, B On The Hunt has banked $132,938. She was just a tick off her lifetime best of 1:53.3, set as a four-year-old. Off at 11-1, she paid $22.90 to win.
Five fillies gathered in the first division of the Penny Bath Memorial Stakes eliminations and Marino's Threecurtaincalls took post three with Giesbrecht in tow. The daughter of Huntsville - Encore Deo battled early for the lead, sat second through the opening quarter in :27.3 and then took command to lead the field to the half in :57.3 and three quarters in 1:26.1. Threecurtaincalls never faced an anxious moment, continuing home to win by 1-1/2 lengths in a career best 1:55.1. Crunch N Munch (Nathan Sobey) finished second with Heavens Lil Dragon (Rod Therres) third.
J J J Stables of North Vancouver, B.C. owns Threecurtaincalls, who moved her career tally to four wins from six starts with $31,375 banked. She paid $3.30 to win.
Marino sent his next student, Machnroll Fantasy, postward in race five, the second division of the Penny Bath Memorial Stakes eliminations, from post four with Brandon Campbell holding the lines. The daughter of Control The Moment - Mach And Roll Baby rode the pocket trip through panels in :27.1, :57, and 1:26 before pushing past the favoured pacesetter Kootenay Leia (Glenn White) and winning by a head in 1:56. Kootenay Leia had to settle for second while Hurrikane Alley (Nathan Sobey) took up the show spot.
Co-owned by Jim Marino and Paul Sanders, Machnroll Fantasy recorded her first win of the season and her second win from eight career starts. Lowering her lifetime mark from a previous 1:59.3, the sophomore filly pushed her career sum to $37,905. She paid $17.40 to win in the upset victory at 8-1.
Marino completed his quintet of victors with Joe Rich ($3.30) and Foothills Magic ($3.90) with Giesbrecht at the lines in each of the $5,200 claiming classes.
To view Thursday's harness racing results, click the following link: Thursday Results - Fraser Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)