The streaking Merigo Magic and defending Atlantic Breeders Crown champion Tobins Chester headlined the second leg of Atlantic Sires Stakes for three-year-old pacing colts on Friday, June 28 at Truro Raceway.
Undefeated in his sophomore season, Merigo Magic extended his win streak to six with a 1:55.1 lifetime-best effort in the first of two $12,540 'A' divisions for trainer Melissa Rennie.
Adam Merner worked out the winning pocket trip for the Tobago Cays gelding, who kicked home in :28.2 to score by four lengths as the 1-9 overwhelming favourite. Dunsan Harry (Marc Campbell) edged out pacesetter Freemans Legacy (Jaycob Sweet) in the race for place off a ground-saving trip after the latter fronted panels of :28, :58 and 1:26.3, with the first-over Jackies Boy (Myles Heffernan) fading to fourth.
Merigo Magic, whose dam Meridian Magic put together a famous win streak of her own, was bred by Barry and Ruben Martin of Sydney, N.S., and is owned by Prince Edward Island's Mike May, Herman McQuaid, Derrick Cameron and Ian Walker. He now has 11 wins from 16 career starts with earnings totalling $77,533.
Tobins Chester (pictured above) won the fastest division of the night with a 1:54.3 career-best performance, extending his stakes win streak to three in a row for trainer Ashley Gamester.
Driver Gilles Barrieau sent the 1-5 favourite to the front, forging three-wide through a contested :27.3 quarter then set middle splits of :56.4 and 1:26.2 en route to a 2-1/4-length victory. Pauls Crown (Marc Campbell) followed in the pocket spot for second while the wide-rallying Reassurance (Adam Merner) got up to show.
With three (consecutive) wins from his first four sophomore starts, Tobins Chester is now 10-for-14 lifetime with $70,614 banked for owner Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I. The Shanghai Phil-Putnam MacKenzie gelding was bred by Wendell Williams of Ellerslie, P.E.I.
Merner was also the winning catch-driver of the Joseph Baxter-trained Little Leroy in one of the $6,000 'B' divisions as the Source Of Pride-Chorale Hanover colt took a new lifetime mark of 1:55 flat.
The other 'B' division was won by Resuscitate (Stonebridge Terror-Just Breathe) in a career-best 1:57.2 for driver Todd Trites and the George Rennison stable.
Truro's weekly top $2,500 Winner Over class went to Atlantic Sires Stakes graduate Malignity, who overcame a trailing tier start with a three-wide move down the backstretch the final time and romped home a 12-length winner in 1:53.2 for trainer/driver Paul Langille. A big :26.3 opening quarter did in the popular pacesetter, American Risk (Todd Trites), but he still managed to hold on for second ahead of Brumby (Gilles Barrieau).
An 11-time winner last year, the four-year-old Malicious-Lady Kelleigh Anne gelding picked up his first seasonal score in his second outing for Nova Scotia owners Debbie Francis, Rosanne Langill and Chantel Langille.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Truro Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada)