Blue Star Aspire and Ruler Of Dragons stole the spotlight on Saturday, June 13 at Century Downs, taking top honours in the R3 Shirley McClellan Breeders Stakes and Moores Mile Breeders Stakes for three-year-old provincially-bred pacers.
In the $90,000 Shirley McClellan Breeders Stakes final for pacing fillies, favoured Blue Star Strike (Drew Campbell) left assertively from post seven to clear rail starter Blue Star Aspire and driver Rod Therres into the first turn. Blue Star Strike fronted the field of fillies through fractions of :27.3, :57.3 and 1:25.4 as an uncontested tandem. Feeling antsy, Therres right-lined Blue Star Aspire from the pocket after that third station to challenge the pacesetter.
The former paddock partners and last week's elim winners traded blows down the stretch, but Blue Star Aspire edged past in the final sixteenth to prevail by 1-1/4 lengths in a lifetime best 1:55.1. Blue Star Strike hled off late rallies from third-place finisher B A Dragon (Phil Giesbrecht) and Y V Four Roses (John Abbott) in for fourth.
"It worked out," said Therres about the trip that delivered the veteran horseman his first stakes-winning drive at Century Downs. "I probably could have sat a little longer but I was getting racy so away we went!"
Therres trains and co-owns the daughter of Captain Deo-Telegraph Hanover with KFC Farms of Abbotsford, B.C. Blue Star Aspire now sports a 4-1-1 career summary from 13 starts with $110,294 in earnings. She paid $6.80 to win.
The headline for the $90,000 Moores Mile Breeders Stakes for sophomore colts appeared as though it would be a successful return to Alberta for Dave Kelly, who picked up the drive on the favourite: Jamie Gray pupil Boleto A Mexico. And after crossing the wire first, the story was nearly complete, but the plot twist came approaching the half-mile mark when Boleto A Mexico made a break on the lead. Horse Racing Alberta judges deemed that break caused interference to trailing horses, placing the pacer ninth.
Benefitting from that placing was stablemate Ruler Of Dragons, second across the wire and missing by a half length but placed first for driver Giesbrecht in a lifetime best time of 1:54.4. Vladdy G (Logan Gillis) was third place second, while Outlaw Country On (Drew Campbell) finished fourth but was placed third.
"I put him on the front last week, and he really didn't like being there much. He'd rather be tracking horses down," said Giesbrecht after the victory. "I just figured there would be enough action up front that I'd be able to take my time and when he's got a target in front of him he can boogie."
Gray also co-owns Ruler Of Dragons ($12.40) along with J J J Stables of North Vancouver and Paul Sanders of Surrey, B.C. The son of Custard The Dragon - Lady Neigh Neigh had never missed the top three (6-3-1) in his 10 appearances. He boasts a healthy bankroll of $171,800 from those starts.
Sent off as the 1-2 choice in the $15,500 Preferred Pace, Mercedes ($3.10)made his move to the top just past the :28.2 opening quarter and trainer-driver Brandon Campbell steered the son of All Bets Off-Skade to a sharp 1:51.4 score. Key Dragon (Kelly) was 2-1/2 lengths back in second with Outlaw Game On (Logan Gillis) at the bottom of the triactor ticket.
Raymond Henry of Calgary, Alta. owns six-year-old Mercedes, now a 27-time winner with more than $202.000 in earnings.
Continuing his hot streak, Outlaw Playmymovie ($4.70) picked up his fifth straight win with a lifetime best 1:52.3 effort in the afternoon's second race. Mike Hennessy guided the four-year-old son of Shadow Play-Pure Movement to victory for trainer Rebecca Kanak and owners Trevor Williams of Landmark, Man., Aurel Vodon of Virden, Man. and Morning Line Inc. of Airdrie, Alta.
To view the full results from the Saturday card of harness racing outside Calgary, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)