A record day kicked off Atlantic Grand Circuit Week at Truro Raceway, with the Sunday (July 16) card being "Distance Day" and Family Fun Day at the track.
Five out of the seven races on the afternoon’s program were contested at distances of either three-quarters of a mile or 1-1/4 miles.
In the first try at the 1-1/4-mile distance in Race 2, wire-to-wire winner Khitam Image (Carl Isenor) came just short of the Canadian record for that distance with her 2:30.2 charted victory. But in the following race, also at 1-1/4 miles, early speed from pacesetters HF Jesse James and Sunny Billion set the race up perfectly for the hard-closing Nova Scotia Strong (Darren Crowe) to reach up and collar the field in the stretch in a Canadian-record time of 2:29.
Crowe both trains and drives Nova Scotia Strong, a three-year-old son of Hes Watching, for owners James Bagnall, Archie Hattie and Gordie Rudolph, who are all Nova Scotia residents.
Records continuously dropped in the three-quarter-mile races that were contested. In the first three-quarter-mile race, which was carded as Race 4, Montague, a son of Bettors Delight, destroyed the previous record of 1:30 with a 1:28 charted victory. The colt is owned by Wayne Whebby and trainer Robert Laffin was in the bike for the record-setting race.
Montague’s record was short-lived due to an impressive win by the free-legged pacing mare Lady N Paradise and driver Greg Munro as the duo stopped the clock in 1:27. Lady N Paradise had been knocking on the door all year long and the adjusted distance did the trick.
That record was also short-lived because in Race 7, the Won't Back Down Stable-owned pacer Risin Horizon got up late in the stretch to defeat fraction-setter Imalookertoo in a time of 1:25.1. It was Risin Horizon’s first victory of the season for trainer Gardner McCallum. Truro’s leading driver Paul Langille was in the bike for the record-breaking victory.
Atlantic Grand Circuit Week continues Tuesday with a card of Atlantic Sires Stakes, with a first race post time of 5 p.m. (ADT).
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Truro Raceway.
(Truro Raceway)