Arties Ideal was intent on getting to the lead in the $11,000 Preferred 2 Pace, which highlighted the Monday, July 14 card at Grand River Raceway, with his speed mission proving successful in a front-end score.
Sent away from post four as the 9-5 favourite, driver Samuel Fillion put Arties Ideal into play early, getting away second behind Stormalong (Jason Ryan) before pulling from the pocket to assume command at the quarter in a hot :26.4. Arties Ideal tapped the brakes to the half in :56.2 when Enavant (Paul Mackenzie) moved first-over from fifth and to the leader's wheel at three-quarters in 1:23.4.
Enavant worked his way to Arties Ideal's saddlepad around the final turn before the leader began to repel the challenge at the top of the stretch. Pacing home in :28.2, Arties Ideal reached the wire a length clear to stop the clock in 1:52.1. Pocket-sitter Stormalong narrowly beat out Enavant for the place position.
The victory was the third in nine starts this season and 33rd in the career of Arties Ideal, who is trained by Kyle Fellows and owned by Hutt Racing Stable of Malvern, Pennsylvania. The nine-year-old stallion by American Ideal out of Midnight Art went over $700,000 in lifetime earnings with the victory.
In addition to the Preferred, Grand River also played host to Prospect Series action, with a trio of $8,000 divisions for the three-year-old trotting fillies and a pair of $8,000 splits for the three-year-old trotting colts.
JS Shesrealspecial (Daryl Thiessen, $49.10) provided a 23-1 shocker when she rocketed off cover to break her maiden in the co-fastest 1:58.1 first split. Jesse Gebhardt's homebred daughter of Muscle Mass-I Am Special is trained by Roger Gebhardt.
The other two divisions for trotting fillies were won by Dont Chang My Naam (Bruce Richardson, $5.30) in 1:58.2 and Not Passable (Phil Hudon, $3.40) in 1:58.1.
The two divisions for trotting colts were won by Stmikes Kerryblues (Damian MacLellan, $4.70) in 1:58 and Tencaratgold (Scott Coulter, $12.50) in 1:56.3.
To view Monday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Monday Results - Grand River Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada)