Driver Alfie Carroll began an early evening, Wednesday win streak as he guided favourite Greystone Ladylike ($3.60) wire-to-wire in the $10,000 Preferred 2 Handicap for pacing mares at The Raceway at Western Fair District.
Greystone Ladylike charged off the gate from post four in the featured second race and led the field of six Preferred distaffers through fractions of :28.2, :58.3 and 1:27.1 while keeping first-over challenger Top Royal and Robert Shepherd at bay to score in 1:56.4 by just over one length. Top Royal moved into second at the half-mile mark and maintained a slight advantage outside of pocket-pursuer Pinky Tuscadero, driven by Mike Horner, for the runner-up honours.
Owned and bred by James and Jean Caddey of Embro, Ont., the Stonebridge Regal-Lady Courtalisa mare notched her 30th career win and is now less than $2,000 shy of the half-million dollar earnings mark. She's earned $27,580 from 11 starts this year, including two wins in the Preferred 2 class at The Raceway for trainer Brent Belore.
The win was the first of three in a row for Carroll. Shepherd later won back-to-back races on the card, including the $7,500 Preferred 3 with David Lumsden's homebred mare Mach Magic ($12.60) in 1:59.4 in the driving rain for trainer Tony Beaton.
To view Wednesday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Wednesday Results - Western Fair Raceway.