Goodbye Ceia Later said ‘goodbye’ to her competition, going the distance to win the $16,000 Fillies and Mares Preferred Pace at Century Downs on Wednesday, April 9 — a card that also featured a driving and training triple from Logan Gillis.
In a battle of the top-class mares, Goodbye Ceia Later took the lead off the gate, posting an opening quarter of :28.1. Sunshineatthebeach (Mike Hennessy) made a strong move to challenge, rumbling up the outside, as the field reached the half in :58.1. Despite the pressure, Goodbye Ceia Later maintained her lead, while Sunshineatthebeach eventually tucked back into the pylons around the final turn for a breather.
With three-quarters in 1:26.4, Goodbye Ceia Later stayed strong and held off all challengers, crossing the wire in 1:56.2 by 1-1/4 lengths. Century Mach (Logan Gillis) made a strong late charge to finish second, while Sunshineatthebeach held on for third.
Goodbye Ceia Later, a six-year-old mare by Vertical Horizon out of Ba Bye Ceia Later, earned her first victory of 2025. Trained by Chris Lancaster, who co-owns with Velda Olding of Abbotsford, B.C., the mare pushed her seasonal earnings to $16,960. This victory also marked the 19th of her career, increasing her lifetime earnings to $163,194.
Logan Gillis enjoyed a big night at Century Downs, notching a training and driving triple. He kicked things off in Race 5 with Kootenay Lager ($24.10, 1:59.4), followed it up immediately in Race 6 with Jus Ched ($7.40, 1:58.4), and capped the evening with Its Time Iceman ($4.40, 1:59.1) in Race 8.
With the trio of training victories, Gillis now has nine wins on the season and has boosted his 2025 earnings to $42,905. He’s looking to build on a career-best 2024 campaign, when he recorded 29 wins and $294,356 in earnings.
To view Wednesday's harness racing results, click the following link: Wednesday Results - Century Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)