Dumont High On Homebred Mare

After returning from a Winter/Spring stint at Fraser Downs, Alberta's 'French Connection' -- trainer Marjorie Dumont and driver J.F. Gagne -- are excited to be back home and will have a trio of starters to offer up for the first-ever stakes races to be held at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino this weekend.

"Between returning here to Alberta and the foaling season now in full swing, it's been quite hectic," says Dumont. "But it's a good kind of busy. Nobody likes an empty stall!"

Headlining the Dumont-trained trio this weekend is Tajmeallover, a four-year-old homebred sired by the Alberta legend, Tajma Hall, out of the stakes champion mare Watch Over Me.

"She was a fast learner right from the start," commented Dumont. "She didn't need any babying early on and she figured out things very quick on the racetrack. When J.F. pulls on the line she just wants to pass other horses -- she's all business."

Owned by breeders J.F. Gagne, Peter Van Seggelen, Carl Warnaar and Joe Tinelli, the mare is now unbeaten in four starts in 2015 and is the favourite to take the opening division of the Prairie Girls Stake for three & four-year-olds this Saturday in Balzac.

"We've rarely had one like her," she continued. "We like her much so that we've decided to breed Watch Over Me back to Tajma Hall this year and we'll hope for a similar result."

Big Shir is the number two mare for Dumont in stakes action Saturday. "She's an honest enough mare, but a bit smaller in size," she says. "We're not quite there with her yet, but maybe she'll step up this weekend."

On Sunday, Sin Machqueen will contest the third and final division of the Prairie Boys for Dumont.

"He's out of a very nice mare (Sin Queen) and maybe we've been more patient -- than we should be -- with him," she laughed. "We've always had high hopes for him. He trained down really good here in Alberta, but he never really showed his true potential in B.C. We're hoping now that he's back in Alberta and going on to a new track that he'll put it together for us."

Racing takes place this Saturday and Sunday at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino with twelve dashes set for each card and a first race post time of 2:00 p.m.

To view entries for the weekend cards, click on one of the following links:

• Century Downs Saturday: Entries - Program Pages

• Century Downs Sunday: Entries - Program Pages

Fontana's Play Of The Weekend

Fontana's Play of the Weekend:
Saturday, Race 6, at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino: #2 Thats Extra.

"Thats Extra should be a little more confident after a solid runner-up finish to an impressive Ontario invader, Sportsonthebeach, who is scheduled to start in the third division of the Prairie Girls stakes on Saturday. The O’Brien Award winning trainer Kelly Hoerdt charge now has a start under her belt and should have the ability to do more damage in her division of the Prairie Girls."

Frank Fontana is a veteran horse race handicapper based in Edmonton, Alberta. His selections for racing, as well as a live stream for watching the races at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino can be found on their website.

(a Trot Insider Exclusive by Shannon 'Sugar' Doyle)