James ‘Friday’ Dean trainees S N P Blue Chip and Classic Rock Nroll, both owned by Kathleen Grant of Milton, ON, took two of three divisions of the opening leg of the Summertime Pacing Series for three-year-old colt pacers on Friday night at Mohawk Racetrack
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The other went to Outrageous Art, who was the fastest of the three winners.
Outrageous Art took over command at the half for driver Randy Waples and then led the rest of the way to win in 1:51.4. The son of Artsplace - Righteous Renee used a :26.4 final frame to hold off a hard-closing Vroom Hanover (Roger Mayotte) with Rafferty Hanover (Rick Zeron) finishing in third.
It was the fifth win in just six tries this season for the Mark Steacy trainee, who returned $3.10 as the top choice in the wagering. The lion’s share of the $20,000 purse increased his seasonal earnings to just over $30,000 for owners Stan Klemencic, David Reid, Malik Racing Stable and Diane Bertrand.
In the second split, S N P Blue Chip used off-the-pace tactics for driver Mark MacDonald to tally in 1:52. The son of Bettors Delight - Advantest rallied to defeat 90-1 longshot Ciona Bromach (Jack Moiseyev) with Here We Go Again (Aaron Byron) rounding out the top three.
S N P Blue Chip was winning for the first time this season in seven starts for Dean and Grant. He returned $13.80 while improving his career earnings to just over $50,000.
Classic Rock Nroll turned in a solid two-move effort for driver Jody Jamieson to win the final division in 1:52.4. The son of Rocknroll Hanover - Classic Wish was able to just edge out Touch The Rock (Randy Waples) for the win with Dash Board Lights (Simon Allard) finishing third.
It was the second win of the season for Classic Rock Nroll, who returned $4.40 for the win. The victory increased his career earnings to just over $83,000 for the same owner-trainer combination.
The second leg of the Summertime Series, for non-winners of two races or $10,000 lifetime as of March 31, will go postward next Friday night at Mohawk.
To view Friday's results, click here.
(With files from WEG)