The Sunday night card at Georgian Downs featured three Preferred events with each winning horse sharing an interesting statistic involving past Preferred wins.
First, the recap of Sunday's action. April Rose kicked off the Preferreds in the sixth race with a wire-to-wire 1:55.3 score in the $11,500 Preferred 2 Trot for Team Hensley -- driver and co-owner Ed and trainer and co-owner Ashleigh. The six-year-old SJs Caviar - Show Me The Bling mare bested Jangone (J.B. Renaud) and Exemplar (Alfie Carroll) for her seventh tally this year and 21st of her career. With the win, April Rose pushed her purse earnings to $293,364.
Two races later, Champagne Phil was a popular winner in the $11,500 Preferred 2 Handicap Pace. Driver Bob McClure guided the eight-year-old son of Shanghai Phil - Champagne Gal to a front-end 1:54.2 score for trainer Dean Nixon and owner ICR Racing of Pefferlaw, Ont. Champagne Phil held off Boomboom Ballykeel (Carroll) and Mckinney (Colin Kelly) for the win, his third of the season and 37th lifetime. The lion's share of the purse places his bankroll at $533,218 for his career.
Don McWhite provided some fireworks in the finale with a 28-1 upset in the $8,500 Preferred 3 Pace. Driver J Harris settled Don McWhite away into fifth before right-lining and flushing the cover of favourite Arsenal Seelster (Scott Young) and being towed into perfect striking range of pacesetter Our Sky Major N (Kelly). Tipping three-wide on the final turn, Don McWhite fronted the field in midstretch and held off a hard-closing Artofficial Flavor by a half-length for the 1:55.1 decision. Arsenal Seelster stayed for third.
Owned by trainer Corey Johnson of Rockwood, Ont. along with Sergis Racing Stable LLC of Canton, N.Y., Don McWhite (McArdle - Banska Bela) counts six of his 20 lifetime wins from this season. This win pushed his purses to more than $141,000.
All three Preferred winners from Sunday at Georgian -- April Rose, Champagne Phil and Don McWhite -- were last victorious in Preferred events at the same level roughly one month ago at The Raceway at The Western Fair District in London. April Rose won a Preferred 2 Trot on May 23, Champagne Phil captured a Preferred 2 Pace at The Raceway on May 26, and Don McWhite was a winner in a Preferred 3 Pace in London on May 21.
For the results from Sunday's card of harness racing at Georgian, click the following link: Sunday Results - Georgian Downs.