Da Magician and Senga Nitro were dominant winners, scoring by a combined 11-3/4 lengths, in a pair of $25,000 stakes divisions of the Century Bets Pace for two-year-old colts and geldings featured on Sunday afternoon (July 24) at Century Downs.
Da Magician left from post three in the opener and went relatively unchallenged on the lead through fractions of :29.3, 1:00.4 and 1:29.1 en route to a five-plus length victory in a new mark of 1:57.4. Edmonton's Serge Masse trains, drives and owns the Dragon Again-Hottie Hanover colt, who was followed by the pocket-pulling Tap Man (Mike Hennessy) in second and Beer Bribe (Keith Clark) after Cold Case (Kelly Hoerdt) had made a break on the backstretch from third.
Da Magician was an $18,000 Lexington Select Sale yearling and is now a two-time winner while earning back the majority of his purchase price in just four starts. He paid $3 to win as the 1-2 favourite in the five-horse field.
In the second split, Senga Nitro was second-to-last with just the early breaker beaten in the field of six through first half fractions of :28.2 and :59.2 before trainer/driver Ryan Grundy sent the 4-5 favourite on the move and then three-wide at the 1:28.1 third quarter mark. The Blue Burner-Nells Sweet Future colt swept past the pacesetter Murder Mystery (Mike Hennessy) and first over rival Charge And Go (Keith Clark), who eventually broke stride in the stretch, and drew off to win by six and a half lengths in a career-best 1:58.3. Wabash Cannonball (Kelly Hoerdt) and Best Advice (Jamie Gray) came on to finish second and third, respectively.
Senga Nitro is off to a perfect start to his career, now two-for-two with $15,150 banked, for owner/breeder Kenneth Gunn of Magnolia, Texas. He paid $3.70 to win.
In regular racing action, Son Of Anarchy pulled off a 9-1 upset in this week's $10,500 Open Pace as he rallied home from fifth in a :28.4 final quarter to prevail by half a length over Spinfiniti (Ed Hensley) and the popular pacesetter Nobettorplacetobe (Travis Cullen), who had fought Get Thereovernight (Kelly Hoerdt) for the led through a :27.1 opening quarter and carved out middle splits of :56.3 and 1:24. Son Of Anarchy returned $20.10 for a $2 win ticket as he picked up his first win of the year in 22 starts. Dave Kelly drove the five-year-old Driven To Win gelding to the 1:54 victory for trainer Greg Manning and co-owner Jody Earle of Airdrie, Alta.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Century Downs.