A pair of Honourable Earl Rowe Memorial Trot divisions were featured on Georgian Downs’s Upper Canada Cup undercard Saturday with Ira Fisher trainees upsetting
in both divisions. Save My Ashes took the lion’s share of the $107,000 purse in the gold division and Minor Supernover prevailed in the $57,000 silver split.
In the Gold division, Digital Image (Jody Jamieson) and Define The World (Paul MacDonell) battled for the early lead with Define The World finally settling on top past the opening quarter in :27.3. He led to half in :56.1 where Rose Run Hooligan (Simon Allard) got the outer flow rolling.
As the field approached the third quarter station in 1:25.4, Save My Ashes and Mark MacDonald fanned out wide from second-over and used a :28.2 final frame in the stretch for the 12-1 upset in 1:55.1.
Armbro Chronicle (Mike Saftic) finished three-quarters of a length back in second and Gutsy Volo (Robert Robinson), who drew in after Stick Man Moe was scratched, finished third.
“Simon Allard was out there on the first turn and was able to drop infront of me and then I just kind of used him for cover a little bit. He took me as far as he had to and [Save My Ashes] kicked home real good,” said MacDonald in a post-race interview. “He is a nice colt. He really is an over achiever. He hasn’t done much, but he’s getting better with age. He’s like a fine wine. He’s going to be a real nice aged trotter.
“I drove this horse quite a bit this winter at Woodbine and I know he’s got a huge kick. I just have to be careful because he will make the odd miscue so I didn’t want to run him off his feet in the last turn. Once he straightened out and he was still trotting and I still had him square I was pretty sure he was going to reach.”
The four-year-old son of Andover Hall notched his third seasonal score and eighth of his career lifting his earnings to $173,820 for Ely Iversen of Moffat, Ont.
With Gutsy Volo scratched and Ziegler Hanover (Stephen Byron) refunded for making a break before the start of the silver division, Minor Supernover and Jody Jamieson only had to beat out three other rivals and the four-year-old Andover Hall bay did just that.
Minor Supernover, the 4-1 third choice, left the gate from Post 6 and laid down fractions of :28, :52.3 and 1:26.3 before digging in to hold off Ericskarri (Paul MacDonell) by a quarter of a length in 1:56. Hp Forte (Mark MacDonald) rounded out the top three.
Minor Supernover posted his third win of the year and fifth of his career pushing his earnings to $124,642 for owner Ely Iversen.
Fisher added one more win to his record later on the card to score a hat trick and bring his yearly win total to 13. In just two seasons of training, the resident of Guelph, Ont. has sent 34 winners postward earning over $620,000 in purses.
A trio of $30,000 Preferred events were also apart of the UCC undercard.
In the Fillies & Mares Pace, the outside Post 8 did not phase Ladycino and her pilot Jody Jamieson, who angled three-wide off second-over cover at three-quarters and used a :28.3 final frame to stop the clock in 1:52.2. The four-year-old Bettors Delight mare, sent off as the 3-5 favourite, won by five and three-quarter lengths over A Fiesty Affair (Mark MacDonald) and Shami Cami (Mike Whelan).
Jeff Gillis trains and co-owns the winner of three races this year and eight in her career with Gerald Stay of Williamsvilee, New York and Rebecca Hamilton of Hamilton, Ont. The bay’s winnings bumped her bankroll to $232,479.
The 3-1 third choice, Countess Stormont and Mark MacDonald, prevailed in the Fillies & Mares Trot off a perfect pocket trip. The four-year-old Kadabra mare tripped the teletimer in a career-best 1:55.4 for the two-length win over Whatever Lolawants (Paul MacDonell) and the pacesetter and fan favourite Spare Time Rozie (Mario Baillargeon).
Countess Stormont picked up her second win of the year for trainer Norm Jones and Stormont Meadows of Long Sault, Ont. The winner of seven races has earned $174,430 in her career.
Finally, the Preferred Pace for horses and geldings went to the four-year-old D M Dillinger gelding, D M Coltfortyfive, and driver J.R. Plante. The 2-1 second choice survived a first-over journey to equal his mark of 1:51 for trainer Rene Bourassa. Donegal Gerald (Tony Kerwood) finished three lengths back in second and the favoured Royal Becquet (Simon Allard) was third.
The M&S Racing Stable of Rockwood and Kim Bourassa of Fergus, Ont. own the winner of 11 races and $72,735 who has won seven of those races this year.
To view Saturday’s results, click here.