Make it 10 straight wins — and 10 straight stakes wins — for sophomore pacing filly Custard Dolce after her gutsy performance in the $53,900 Alberta Diamond final on Saturday, May 31 at Century Downs.
Sent off by the betting public as the 1/5 choice, Custard Dolce dropped into fifth early for driver Phil Giesbrecht as Imashipwreck (Brandon Campbell) yielded to second choice Mademechangemymind (Nathan Sobey) through a :27.3 opener. Sobey stole a :29.3 second-quarter breather, hitting the half in :57.1 before facing any serious challenges.
The challenge was certainly serious as Custard Dolce attacked up on the rim and amped up that pressure after a 1:25 third station. Giesbrecht asked his filly for another gear around the far turn and she responded, but Mademechangemymind still had something left in the tank to create a two-horse breakaway heading for the wire. Custard Dolce dug deep and delivered a sweet victory for her connections and supporters, winning by a length over Mademechangemymind in 1:54.3. Snowdragon (Kelly Hoerdt) completed the triactor ticket.
Trainer and co-owner Jamie Gray indicated that, in his opinion, the only serious concern for Custard Dolce — now that he has ironed out her early-season habit of jumping shadows — was right at the start of today's mile.
"The concern was when [Phil] was trying to let Jamie Jungqvist (driving Blowing Inthe Wind) in through the first turn, just to get him out of the way. Otherwise he could have sat out there and screwed everything up.
"She's tough; I don't like her seeing being parked through two turns but today we had no choice because the front end will get away on you after that second quarter breather. She's just tough. She's a rare filly."
Custard Dolce (Custard The Dragon - Blue Star West) picked up her 10th career victory in 11 starts for Gray, Jackson Wittup of Calgary, Max Gibb of Millarville and Derek Wilson of Heritage Pointe, Alta. Her career purse earnings now stand at $173,887.
No stranger to receiving the Rodney Dangerfield treatment, Outlawminutbyminut ($21.50) once again delivered an upset as the 9-1 fifth choice in the $56,000 Alberta Marksman for Alberta-sired three-year-old male pacers.
Logan Gillis sat Outlawminutbyminut in third behind pacesetter Discontinued (Campbell) and Momas Work Of Art (Mike Hennessy) through fractions of :27, :56 and 1:24. Gillis watched patiently from that position as the first overland challenge from Ima Rum Runner faultered down the backside for Nathan Sobey, leaving favoured Westcoast Mccoy (Giesbrecht) uncovered and forced to drive on. With Westcoast Mccoy hitting a gallop around the far turn, Discontinued has fresh threats in his rearview mirror that were able to fan out in the stretch.
Hennessy popped the pocket and took his shot, with Gillis fanning into the three path with the most late pace. Worldsgreatestsin (J.F. Gagne) angled up the pylons to add another layer to the puzzle but he didn't have enough late pace to collar Outlawminutbyminut, a 1:55 victor by nearly two lengths. At 69-1, Worldsgreatestsin stayed for second ahead of Discontinued.
The trainer and co-owner of Outlawminutbyminut along with Todd Teolis, Gillis gave his sophomore stakes winner all the credit for Saturday's upset victory, calling him the smartest horse in his barn going back even to his two-year-old season.
"I wanted to move a little earlier, but he's pretty patient, he's nice to drive and doesn't get too revved up. I knew the boys, going down the backside, we were going to go a little. Maybe if I got a chance down the lane would pick up some pieces, but we're lucky enough to do it all today."
Now a five-time winner from 10 career starts, Outlawminutbyminut (Smart Shark - At This Hour) sports a nifty sum of $105,600 in lifetime earnings. In back-to-back stakes wins last year, Outlawminutbyminut was dismissed by the punters, paying $80.60 and $54.40 to win.
Saturday's card at Century Downs, in partnership with the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association was themed "Pacing the Way for Mental Health" to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Month in May. One of the fundraising events conducted was a Sumo Suit Dash featuring a number of the track's top horsemen in a short sprint. Winning, in a photo over Brandon Campbell, was Nathan Sobey with Kelly Hoerdt calling for a judges' inquiry.
(from left to right: Brandon Campbell, Kelly Hoerdt, Preston Shaw, Phil Giesbrecht, Nathan Sobey and Mike Hennessy. Logan Gillis was just out of frame beside Hennessy.)
For results from Saturday's card of harness racing outside Calgary, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)