The conditions weren't ideal for the participants during the card of harness racing on Saturday, June 21 at Century Downs, but one group seemed to be affected the most: betting favourites.
Going into Saturday's card, favourites won 43.5 percent of the races at Century Downs this season. So by the numbers, a 10-race card should provide around four winners that received the most pari-mutuel support.
On this occasion, it was half that. And both of those horses — Dont Shoot Luke in the first and Hurrkane Alley in the fourth — won before the track was downgraded to a five-second sloppy condition.
Saturday's card featured two major stakes events and the top class pacers in the Preferred, and all three of those races concluded with upsets...some bigger than others.
The main event on the day was the $118,000 Shirley McClellan Breeders Stakes final for three-year-old Alberta-foaled filly pacers, with the streaking Custard Dolce seeking her 11th straight win. She faced a tough challenge even before the race when drawing post seven and outside all her major threats — the most dangerous being post two starter Mademechangemymind.
One knock against Mademechangemymind would be that she didn't have her usual pilot at the controls. Trainer and owner Nathan Sobey remains sidelined after an accident at Century Downs on Wednesday, but he was able to procure the services of Mike Hennessy for this assignment.
That combination proved to be the formula that would end the win streak of Custard Dolce, who was sent out of post seven by driver Phil Giesbrecht to make the top and cut all the fractions. With Mademechangemymind in the pocket, Custard Dolce splashed through early sections of :28, :57.2 and 1:29.1 without a challenge even to the pocket sitter. That front pair separated from the rest and turned for home with a battle to ensue.
Hennessy angled Mademechangemymind off Giesbrecht's helmet in the stretch, and it appeared to be too little too late. But a late lunge at the wire provided just enough pony to prevail by a nose in a time of 2:00.2 that sounds much more impressive when the five-second variant is applied. Chics Dragon Flies (David Kelly) was best of the rest in third.
A daughter of Winds Of Change - Imjusttaylormade, Mademechangemymind ($6.60; pictured above) now sports a career record of 6-4-1 from 12 career starts with just shy of $150,000 in earnings.
Discontinued ($8.40) had a less favourable starting spot — post eight — for the Moores Mile final, a $90,000 dash for three-year-old Alberta-foaled male pacers. Trainer-driver Brandon Campbell settled back into fifth as favoured Outlawminutbyminut (Logan Gillis) provided the early speed through a :29 opener and :58.1 half.
Already on the move first up and advancing at the midway mark, Discontinued delivered the knockout blow down the backside with a brush that left the favourite in his wake. Opening up a five-length advntage at the 1:28 third station, Discontinued cruised home in :30.1 for the 1:58.1 tally 4-1.2 lengths better than Momas Work Of Art (Hennessy). Worldsgreatestsin (Giesbrecht) completed the triactor ticket.
Campbell also co-owns Discontinued, now a four-time career winner, with Raymond Henry and George Rogers of Calgary, Alta. The son of Custard The Dragon - Shark Fest boosted his bankroll to $98,045 with his first career stakes final score.
Not a winner in stakes action, David Kelly still had a successful day at the office with a training-driving triple including a wire-to-wire 1:59.1 win with Tim Can Timmy ($31.60) in the $16,000 Preferred Pace. The five-year-old son of BJs Bequia - Free Tunes bested Matts A Mystician (Campbell) and favoured Shark Week (Hennessy) for his 14th lifetime tally. Kelly co-owns the career winner of $147,685 with Mike Dicks of Parkland County, Alta. and Josh MacDonald of Little Pond, P.E.I..
Kelly's other training wins — all double-digit upsets — came courtesy Catfish Jack ($20.90) in the seventh and Bonus Round ($35.60) in the ninth.
For the full results for Saturday's card of harness racing outside Calgary, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)