The 2013 British Columbia Sires Stakes season began on Saturday evening at Fraser Downs with a quartet of $7,500 first leg eliminations for sophomore pacers.
Favoured fillies Yanotherhos and Hurts So Bad kicked off the stakes action, scoring their first wins of the season.
Yanotherhos retook the lead from Kumu (David Hudon) early on and fought off first over Fast Lane Ferrari (Keith Clark) before drawing off to a 2:00.3 victory with Brandon Campbell in the sulky for trainer Richard Lancaster and owner Ray Soh. The Allamerican Cobalt-Odds On Carmen filly won by five lengths while a from-last Not Listed (Michael Munoz) edged out Fast Lane Ferrari for second. She paid $5.10 to win.
J J J Stables' Hurts So Bad and trainer-driver Serge Masse advanced first over from fourth after the half-mile mark and wore down pacesetter Im Tu Die For (Glenn White) into the stretch en route to a two and three-quarter length victory in a lifetime-best clocking of 1:58.2. Pureform Pandora (Scott Knight) finished second off a three-hole trip while Im Tu Die For settled for third. The Power Of Art-Scruffian filly paid $4.50 to win.
The colt divisions produced a pair of close finishes with Red Star Pirate and Why We Were Chosen getting up in the final strides to become two-time winners this year.
Red Star Pirate and driver Scott Knight converted from a pocket trip and edged out the popular pacesetter, Hesouttamyleague (Kevin Anderson), in the final stride to win the first colt division in 1:59.2 by a nose. Make Mine Five (Jim Marino) followed two and three-quarter lengths behind in third. The 4-1 third choice paid $10.10 for the mild upset. Trainer David McKellar shares ownership of the Red Star Senator-Mandy Jaccka N colt with Donald and Richard Young.
Rod Therres's homebred Why We Were Chosen used a late stretch kick to prevail by a neck over first over One Last Shot (John Abbott) in 2:00 while pacesetter Kootenay Positive (J.F. Gagne) finished over three and a half lengths behind. The favoured son of Allamerican Cobalt and Dal Reo Damsel returned $4.10 to his backers in just his third lifetime start.
In regular racing action, Knight trainees Dealers Edge and Beach Boy Toy (David McKellar) swept the top two spots in the weekly $12,500 Open Pace. Mr Vancouver champion Dealers Edge, a four-year-old son of Cams Card Shark owned by Robert Collier, cruised to a 1:54.4 two and a half length victory over his stablemate for a 14-1 upset. Co-favoured Rock Allstar (Jim Marino) was third.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Fraser Downs.