Barracuda Hanover provided the fastest time of five $8,000 divisions of the Prospect Series as the three-year-old pacers started their side of the series on Saturday, May 16 at Flamboro Downs.
Making his seasonal debut, Barracuda Hanover marched out of post seven for Brady Galliers but dropped back into fourth as Nugget Hugit (Samuel Fillion) pushed on to the front in a :27.1 first panel. Galliers right-lined the son of Bulldog Hanover-Bettors Chance nearing the half in :56.2 and set him on the first-over grind while Nugget Hugit ratcheted up the tempo to three-quarters in 1:25. Barracuda Hanover gained relentlessly around the final turn, though, and pushed past the odds-on pacesetter in the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:54.3. Twin B Stanley (Damian MacLellan) was third.
Barracuda Hanover won twice at two and is now three-for-12 lifetime with $33,530 in the coffers. The gelding is trained by Jack Darling and owned by Jack Darling Stables Ltd. of Cambridge, Ont. and Brad Grant of Milton, Ont. He returned $14.10, the highest price among the five splits.
Galliers won two more Prospect Series splits, starting with Regil Whitesocks ($3.90) in the first division for fillies. He also put that daughter of Cattlewash-Regil Hurricane on the first-over track, and she responded with an impressive lifetime-best 1:56.2 effort for trainer Cameron McQueen and owner Carl Davidson of Milverton, Ont. Mc Princess ($3.20) wired the field from post six in the final filly split, stopping the clock in 1:55 as the Mcwicked-Believe In Me filly lowered her mark for trainer Gregg McNair and owner Hutt Racing Stable of Malvern, Pa.
Kapueno ($7.60), who raced in Atlantic Canada at two, took his first win in Ontario in the first contest for colts. Paul MacKenzie trained and drove the Betterthancheddar-Kellys Keepsake gelding to the 1:56.2 score for owner Chris Kelly of Calgary, Alta.
Austin Sorrie oversaw a facile pillar-to-post victory by Esmeralda Du Lac ($3.70) in the other filly split. The daughter of Cattlewash-Sheissuchadream covered the mile in 1:56 for trainer Eric Nadeau and owners Louis-Philippe Roy Racing of Campbellville, Ont., Jean Allaire of Montreal, Que., Michel Letarte of Boucherville, Que. and Groupe Esmeralda Du Lac of Campbellville.
The Prospect Series, for Ontario-sired two- and three-year-olds, began on May 15 and will run through Oct. 6.
To view Saturday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Flamboro Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)