The standardbred race season kicked off at Cornerstone Raceway in Yorkton Saturday. And for driver Philip Giesbrecht it was almost a season in a day as he went to the winner's circle four times in nine races
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"The horses that I drove were real good, real good and tight," said the Manitoba driver. "It helps a lot when they're ready to go...I thought they all had a chance to win and they came through for me."
That said, Giesbrecht said he went into the races with a plan 'A' and a plan 'B', but added those sometimes changed depending on what was happening in a race.
"It was kind of watching things at the gate really," he said, adding exact plans are impossible given all the variables that can happen in a race.
Giesbrecht said it’s so easy to have a wheel hit, or for a horse to break stride in front of you, completely changing what you had planned to do in a race.
The first win came with Power Maid in the second race.
"She came from a long way," said Giesbrecht, adding Power Maid was his "most surprising" drive of the day, coming home at just over two-minutes at odds of 99-1.
Giesbrecht was back to take the third race with Prince Of Chantze, then made it three straight driving Spicy Bouquet to top spot in race four. Three-in-a-row is a rarity, admitted Giesbrecht.
"It's once in a lifetime for some guys," he said, initially suggesting it was his first, then adding he thought he had "a natural hat trick" once in Saskatoon. "That's the funny thing about this sport, you never know what's going to happen. A lot of things have to go right."
The fourth win for Giesbrecht was Oblivious Boy in race eight.
"Oblivious Boy was very good, very strong at the end," said Giesbrecht. "He's going to be a tough old horse all season. He has a lot of class to him."
The seventh race of the night was the RH Electric featured $2,000 Open Pace. After a lengthy judge's inquiry, Armbro Dublin was first for driver Blake Piwniuk. Glenn LeDrew was second with Outlaw Spider, with Terrorizer third for Giesbrecht. The 2:00.3 six length win was number 51 for the half-million dollar earning son of Cambest, who was making his Saskatchewan debut.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Yorkton Exhibition.
(Trot Insider exclusive by Calvin Daniels)