The winning streak is now four-in-a-row and counting for pacer GD Airliner, who showed no mercy to the six foes he squared off with in Thursday’s $13,000 Preferred at Rideau Carleton Raceway
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GD Airliner and driver Simon Allard were parked for the opening half of the contest while Firethorn (:27.1) and Outrageous Art (:56) took turns on the lead. Allard hustled GD Airliner past Outrageous Art in the backstretch and went on to hammer out the third panel in 1:24.4 before using a :28.4 closing quarter to win by five lengths over Firethorn in 1:53.3. Sunset Art was a distant third.
Sent off as the 3-5 favourite, the four-year-old son of Panspacificflight-Mackenzie Beth bumped his lifetime earnings to $227,256 for co-owner/trainer Rene Allard and the partnership of Howard Taylor, Abraham Basen and Gilles Fleury.
Thursday’s card also featured a single $7,500 division in the third leg of The Spring Fling Series for fillies and mares who were non-winners of $30,000 lifetime as of December 31, 2011.
Barockey was too much for her foes to handle as noted by her two-length triumph in 1:55.1 for trainer/driver Ted McDonald, who had a driving and training triple on the card.
McDonald tucked into the two-hole with Barockey while Miz Grizz supplied first-half fractions of :27.2 and :56.2. Barockey went into attack mode in the backstretch, and in a matter of strides she found her way to the front. She zipped by the three-quarter pole in 1:26.1 and used a :29-second closing panel to seal the deal. Olivias Way was next best, and the third prize was earned by Cndiana Jones.
Julie Ferguson of Greely, ON owns the three-year-old Mach Three-Mystical miss, who was sent off as the 3-1 second choice in the wagering. The victory was her sixth of the season in 11 tries, and the lion’s share of the purse lifted her lifetime earnings to $28,979.
Trainer Gary McDonald enjoyed a productive night thanks to a three-win performance. He clicked with Its A Good Thing (1:55.2), Pembroke Chip (2:02) and Long Life (1:58.2).
To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Rideau Carleton Raceway.