Ideal Gift kept his record at Hiawatha Horse Park untarnished as he pulled off a 10-1 upset while taking a new mark in Saturday’s $10,000 Preferred 2 Pace
. The four-year-old won his last and only other start at Sarnia’s five-eighth mile oval in May of his sophomore year.
Saturday’s four-time winning driver Brad Forward shot Ideal Gift to the front from Post 9 in the finale, reaching the opening station in :26.4. The son of Western Ideal-Gift Of Life took a breather in the second panel, rolling to the half in :56.2 while favourite Grand Bend Turbo (Mark Pezzarello) moved underway from fourth. Ideal Gift picked up the pace again to three-quarters in 1:24.1 and shook off his challenger as he headed into the stretch with a three-length lead. The Chris Haskell pupil coasted home to stop the clock in a career-best 1:52.2. Blissfull Breeze (Robert Sparling Jr.) finished over one length behind in second over the pocket-sitting Cash Only Please (Don Rankin, Jr.).
Ideal Gift has won four times in 20 starts this year earning $30,875 for owners David Kryway of Amherstburg and Cassie Nantais of Windsor, ON.
To view Saturday's results, click here.