Governor’s Plate champion Serious Damage matched the all-age track record at Northside Downs on Saturday afternoon in the $7,000 J.A. Ferguson Memorial Pace while Honey Do Jigtime destroyed the track record for three-year-old pacing fillies in Atlantic Sires Stakes action
.
Fresh off a victory in the 43rd edition of the Governor’s Plate on July 16 at Summerside Raceway, Serious Damage ($8.10) journeyed first over from third through fractions of :27.3, :56.4 and 1:25.4 en route to capturing the $7,000 J.A. Ferguson Memorial Pace in 1:55 by two and a quarter lengths over favourite Oakmont and Danny Romo, and Outlawpositivcharg with Terry Gallant.
The time of the mile equalled Outlawpositivcharg’s all-age track record set in last year’s Ferguson Memorial on July 24, 2010.
The seven-year-old son of Allamerican Ingot-Serious Smile, now four-for-13 this year with over $25,000 earned, was driven to victory by Marc Campbell and is trained by Earl Watts for owners Wade Peconi of Breadalbane and Ryan MacPhee of Cornwall, P.E.I. The victory was his 20th lifetime and bumped his bankroll to over $152,000.
Three $7,280 Atlantic Sires Stakes ‘A’ divisions for sophomore pacing fillies were also contested during the 14-race card with the filly record falling in the second split.
Maritime Breeders champion Honey Do Jigtime ($3.90) sat third through opening fractions of :29.2 and :59.1, before taking over command at the third quarter mark in 1:28.1 and sprinting away to score by seven lengths in a career-best 1:57, with her final quarter timed in :28.4. Favourite Bemused and Campbell finished second off a pocket trip while early leader Acton Normal and Shane Bernard were third.
Clare MacDonald trains and drives the Coastocoast Yankee-Gold Luck filly, who destroyed Scootingforsuccess’ 1:58.3 record. She is now six-for-eight this year (three-for-four in sires stakes) with two second place finishes and over $30,000 banked for owners Morah Kerr of Greenfield and Phonsie MacEachern of Port Hood, N.S. The $3,000 Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Sale purchase now boasts 10 wins and five seconds in 18 lifetime starts and over $51,000 in earnings.
Moon Landing ($2.10) and Romo captured the earlier 'A' division in wire-to-wire fashion, stopping the clock in 1:58.3 with a four and three-quarter length margin of victory. K D Go Onn and MacDonald followed for second while Windemere Gem and Mark McKinnon finished third.
The Maritime Breeders runner-up is now a perfect four-for-four in sires stakes action for trainer-owner Patrick Eastwood. The daughter of Quick Comeback-Igiantstpfrpankind has six wins in eight starts on her seasonal record with two second place efforts and just under $25,000 earned. The $1,900 Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition Sale purchase improved her lifetime record to 9-6-1 in 19 starts and lifted her bankroll to over $47,000.
Grayland Rain ($7,800) front-stepped her way to a career-besr 2:00.4 victory in the final ‘A’ division for trainer-driver Marc Campbell. The daughter of Benvolio Hanover-Donnas Four prevailed by three-quarters of a length over Force Of Fire and Shawn Lynk while favourite Forthena and MacDonald rallied from the backfield to show.
Paul Gray of Pugwash, N.S. owns the bay filly, who now has two wins in nine seasonal starts and over $6,000 made after winning her last start in a ‘B’ division on July 15 at Summerside Raceway. The win was her third overall from 16 career starts and pushed her bankroll to over $8,000.
George Della Valle’s homebred filly Hot Diggity Della ($16.10) claimed the single $2,500 ‘B’ division with flying colours in rein to driver Gerald Snow. The Ss Sand Dollar-Keystone Hot Stuff filly, trained by John Hawco, kicked away from the field to score a 10 length triumph in 2:01.
In regular racing action, Woodmere Westerner ($6.10) rallied off cover to take the $1,500 Open Pace in 1:58.1, just one-fifth of a second off his lifetime mark. The seven-year-old son of Western Success-Harrods Route beat out Rakland Fine Line and Campbell by two and a quarter lengths for his second consecutive victory while Sir Dutch and Bruce McGean rounded out the top three. The winner of three races in 10 starts this year is trained by Mary Lynn Collins, who also co-owns with Howard Collins of North Sydney, N.S.
For results from Saturday's harness racing card, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.