In a battle between the favourites, Blue Star Texas wore down Fire Watch to win the first Alberta Sires Stakes final of the season on Saturday at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino.
Trained and driven by Keith Clark, Blue Star Texas won the $54,800 Alberta Princess for three-year-old pacing fillies in 1:57 flat for Alberta owners Doris McDougall of Cochrane and Robert Jones of Slave Lake. Sent postward as the 4-5 favourite after winning her elimination on Canada Day, she returned $3.60 to her backers at the betting windows.
Slight 2-1 second choice Fire Watch (Travis Cullen) established the lead from post three over I Am Miss T (Bill Tainsh Jr.) with Blue Star Texas settling into third from post five. Insider Twilight Raes (Dave Hudon) was gapped off the gate while outsider Mystery Song (Brandon Campbell) broke stride at the start and did recover, but was left parked out and tired down the backside.
Fire Watch led the field through panels of :28.3, :58.3 and 1:27. As Fire Watch started to open up on top, Clark sent Blue Star Texas around I Am Miss T and began to reel in the pacesetter. Blue Star Texas caught up with Fire Watch and those two duelled down the stretch, with the former filly getting by the latter for the half-length victory. Take On Day Boys (Rod Hennessy) finished four and three-quarter lengths behind in third. Cam Finish (Philip Giesbrecht), Blue Star Texas' stablemate and fellow elimination winner, was fourth.
Blue Star Texas is now five-for-eight in her sophomore campaign. The Brandons Cowboy-Movin Uptown filly boasts stakes wins in the Wild Rose, Penny Bath Memorial and now Alberta Princess, which pushed her career bankroll over the $100,000 mark.
Three-year-old pacing colts and geldings will face off in the $55,400 final of the Alberta Plainsman on Sunday while Century Downs offers a t-shirt toss, draws for starting gate rides, a betting basics course for those new to wagering and live entertainment as part of the Bring A Friend National Challenge promotion. First race post time is 2 p.m.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.