Racing returned to Cape Breton on Saturday (May 11) with the first card of the meet at Northside Downs, but in some respects it appeared that last year's meet had yet to end.
When the North Sydney, Nova Scotia half-mile oval shut down for 2018, Southwind Ricardo was the hottest horse on the grounds. He captured a leg and the final of the Governors Cup at Northside before closing the year with a punishing 11-plus length score in the track's top class pace.
Despite drawing the rail in a compact field of five featured in the $1,400 Winners Over Pace, Southwind Ricardo was sent off as the second choice on the toteboard. Ryan Campbell, however, drove him like the favourite and played catch me if you can through panels of :30.4, 1:02.3 and 1:32.4 before facing a flood of foes turning for home. Rivals fanned out four-wide and were separated by less than three lengths at the head of the lane. Southwind Ricardo dug deep to repel and reject all challengers, with the mile timed in 2:04.1 over the track rated sloppy and three seconds off. Locally-debuting Blue Line (Randy Getto) rallied well in the stretch to finish second ahead of pocket-sitting Burn Em Up Burr (Gerard Kennedy).
Harold Leblanc trains Southwind Ricardo (Dragon Again - Southwind Rio) and co-owns the six-year-old gelding with Joel Le Blanc, Willie Seymour and Bernie Gillis. The win on Saturday was the 21st of the pacer's career helping lift his earnings to $91,124.
For the full charted results from Northside, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.