Little Clayt earned his third straight victory at Flamboro Downs, braving the snowy spring conditions in the $7,500 Preferred 3 Pace on Sunday (April 3) night.
Driven by J Harris, Little Clayt got away in fourth-place off the gate as the field settled in line while Stoney Durkin (Nick Steward) established the lead from the inside post. Stoney Durkin carved out first half fractions of :29 and :59.3 with Statesman N (Doug Brown) tracking in the pocket spot.
Meanwhile, Harris moved Little Clayt first over coming off the turn in front of the grandstand and advanced into second-place as the six-horse field headed down the backstretch.
Little Clayt raced alongside Stoney Durkin past three-quarters in 1:28.1 before gaining the upper hand and drawing clear in the final turn. He then opened up on top down the stretch to win by more than two lengths in 1:57.1 over the 'good' track. Statesman N finished second and 22-1 longshot Buckshot Austin (Scott Coulter) closed from the back of the pack to edge out Stoney Durkin for third-place honours.
Little Clayt was the 4-5 favourite following back-to-back, career-best victories in March over Flamboro's half-mile track. He's finished no worse than second in four starts this year and returned $3.80 for his Sunday score.
Little Clayt is campaigned by trainer John Kennedy and owner Alison Kennedy of Hanover, Ont. The four-year-old How Fleet Is He gelding now has 13 career wins from 36 starts and earnings of $51,800.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Flamboro Downs.