With Mappos Lion taking his show on the road to Inverness Raceway this week, there was an opportunity for a fresh face to prevail in the top class at Northside Downs on Saturday, June 6.
As it turned out, the face was fresh for 2026 but very familiar to the infield winner's circle at the Cape Breton oval.
With 40 wins over the pas two seasons and a good chunk of those coming at Northside Downs, Hugh Heff is certainly not against having his photo taken but was winless in two seasonal starts coming into Saturday's $1,600 Winners Over feature. Assigned post six and facing six rivals, Hugh Heff and driver Randy Getto went postward as the 2-1 second choice. Favoured from the rail at 4-5 was Ranked Contender with Ardon Mofford up, and those two veterans traded blows through a stiff :28.2 opening quarter with Hugh Heff clearing just before that first fraction.
Sensing blood in the water after that opening quarter, Dontblvmejustwatch got his marching orders from driver Mark Pezzarello at the three-eighths mark and Hugh Heff's stablemate cleared to the top through a :58.2 half. Dontblvmejustwatch tried to get away from Hugh Heff heading down the backside, up by three at the 1:27.4 third station, but that margin started to narrow through that final quarter.
With Hugh Heff advancing first up, Dontblvmejustwatch tried to stave off the bid from his stablemate and those two paced nearly in unison headed to the wire. In the final strides, Hugh Heff poked a head in front of Dontblvmejustwatch for the 1:58.4 victory. Ranked Contender re-rallied for the show spot.
Trained by Dana Getto, Hugh Heff is now a 49-time winner in his career with nearly $124,000 in earnings. The six-year-old Betterthancheddar-Danika Patrix gelding is owned by his driver along with Susan MacSween of River Ryan and Wayne Hardy of Sydney, N.S. He returned $6 to win.
For full results from Saturday's card of harness racing at Northside, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)