If not for 2024 Canadian Horse of the Year Chantilly, there might be another three-year-old pacing filly whose name starts with C that would be garnering serious consideration as the nation's best in her division.
That filly is Custard Dolce, who debuted impressively during stakes action on Saturday, May 24 at Century Downs and extended her two-year winning streak to nine straight races.
The first Alberta Sires Stakes races of 2025 went postward on Saturday, with two $15,000 Alberta Diamond eliminations for three-year-old pacing fillies and a trio of $10,000 Alberta Marksman elims for their male counterparts. The $50,000 finals will take place next Saturday, May 31.
As expected, Custard Dolce ($2.40; pictured above) delivered as the 1-5 choice in the second Diamond elimination. Phil Giesbrecht angled Custard Dolce off the pylons from fourth just after the half, getting on close to even terms with pacesetter Imashipwreck (Brandon Campbell) at the 1:26.2 third station, then uncorking a :28.3 final quarter to edge clear of Imashipwreck by two lengths in a 1:55 performance. Hot Shot Shark (Mike Hennessy) completed the triactor.
Now a winner of 90 per cent of her 10 career appearances, Custard Dolce (Custard The Dragon - Blue Star West) is owned by trainer Jamie Gray along with Albertans Jackson Wittup, Max Gibb and Derek J Wilson. The win lifted her lifetime bankroll to $146,937 and she'll head into next week's final with the target on her back.
Mademechangemymind ($3.30) delivered as the 3-5 choice in the first Diamond division. Owner-trainer-driver Nathan Sobey wanted the front end from post six, and got there after Blowing Inthe Wind (Campbell) passed the first quarter in :28.1. Mademechangemy mind landed on the lead around the three-eighths mark, posted honest middle fractions of :57.4 and 1:26.2 and then held off the late threat of Chics Dragon Flies (David Kelly) for the lifetime best 1:55.2 score. Blowing Inthe Wind rounded out the top three.
A daughter of Winds Of Change - Imjusttaylormade, Mademechangemymind now sports a 4-3-1 summary from her nine lifetime starts with $73,158 in the bank.
Shifting over to the boys, Westcoast Mccoy ($2.10) looks like the Real McCoy after his wire-to-wire 1:54 score in the Alberta Marksman, the fastest of the three splits contested. The son of Captive Audience - Alley Scat won by four lengths for driver Giesbrecht over Momas Work Of Art (Hennessy) and Custard Titan (Kelly).
Unbeaten in two starts this year for trainer John Chappell and owners Ross Sharp and Andrea Chappell, Westcoast Mccoy has already doubled his win output from his rookie season. He's now a three-time winner with $46,066 in earnings and will surely receive a fair amount of public support in next week's final.
Brandon Campbell will have to pick off one of the Marksman elim winners as he sent out two from his stable — Discontinued and Worldsgreatestsin.
Worldsgreatestsin ($6.00) finished second by a neck in his Marksman elim but was placed first after favoured Ima Rum Runner (Sobey) was offstride while crossing the wire. Judges placed Ima Rum Runner back to second, with Catitude (Giesbrecht) in the show spot.
Campbell co-owns Worldsgreatestsin (Captain Deo - Showtime Terror) along with Dana Shore and Raymond Henry. The winner of $40,782 lifetime is now unbeaten in two sophomore starts.
A wire-to-wire winner in his Marksman elim, Discontinued ($2.60) was five lengths the best in his lifetime best 1:54.4 performance. Outlawminutbyminut (Logan Gillis) had no answers for the 3-10 favourite, with Captain Keys (Kelly Hoerdt) a dozen lengths back of the winner in third.
Also owned by Campbell and Henry along with George Rogers, Discontinued (Custard The Dragon - Shark Fest) is also a two-time winner this year — finishing second to Westcoast Mccoy in his other sophomore start — with $39,325 in earnings.
The richest purse race of the day featured the fastest horse in Western Canadian harness racing, with apex predator Shark Week saddled with post eight in the nine-horse $16,000 Preferred Handicap Pace. A scratch brought the son of Vertical Horizon - Shark Gone Bad in one spot on the starting gate as he faced seven rivals.
Like a Great White sensing vulnerable prey, Shark Week shot from the gate for driver Mike Hennessy for the front end and made the top after a taxing :26.2 opener, clearing third choice Tin Can Timmy (Kelly). Second choice Midnight Mover (Campbell) gave Shark Week a challenge heading to the :56.3 half and maintained pressure down the backside through a 1:24 third panel, even forging a head in front while trying to clear.
Bad news for his backers: Shark Week had more in the tank and fought back to foil that foe. Tin Can Timmy loomed the danger in the stretch after angling to the inside, but Shark Week stayed strong and prevailed in a gutsy 1:53.4 battle. Tin Can Timmy came up three quarters of a length short, while Midnight Mover stayed for third.
Make that 55 career wins and $465,350 in earnings for Shark Week, who returned $2.70 on a $2 win wager. Rod Hennessy trains and co-owns the seven-year-old gelding, now a six-time winner in seven seasonal starts, with Lorne Duffield.
For the full results from Saturday's card of harness racing outside of Calgary, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)