Sophomore pacers were featured in $16,000 eliminations for the Ralph Klein and Gord & Illa Rumpel Memorial Stakes in front of the annual Packwood Grand gathering at Century Downs on Saturday, July 26 while popular Preferred pacer Shark Week left his trainer in awe with another top performance.
No one could touch Hands Off Harry in the first Klein elimination for the colts and geldings as the Nathan Sobey trainee romped to a 5-1/2-length victory in 1:54.3 with catch-driver Mike Hennessy in the sulky. Riding a three-race win streak into the elimination round, the 1-9 favourite set uncontested fractions of :28.2, :57.4 and 1:26.1 before capping off the blowout victory with another :28.2 panel on the end. Miso Hanover (Logan Gillis), Worldsgreatestsin (Brandon Campbell) and Captain Keys (Kelly Hoerdt) completed the top four.
Sobey owns the All Bets Off-Hands Off Hanover gelding, who has finished no worse than second through a dozen career starts and counts the Ray Gemmill Memorial Stakes in his May sophomore debut at Fraser Downs among his seven wins.
Picking up the catch-drive on Momas Work Of Art, Dave Kelly worked out a patient pocket trip in rein to the Shelly Arsenault trainee to post a mild 7-1 upset in the second Klein elimination. Momas Work Of Art tracked the favoured Moores Mile champion Discontinued (Brandon Campbell) through fractions of :28.2, :59.1 and 1:26.4 while a first-over Outlawminutbyminut (Logan Gillis) gained a short advantage outside heading to the final turn with Summer Dancer (Phil Giesbrecht) hot on his heels. Kelly was able to split rivals down the stretch and Momas Work Of Art closed inside to nab the victory, equalling his lifetime mark of 1:55.2 set in an elimination for the Moores Mile last month before his runner-up result in that stakes final. He drew one length clear near the wire over Outlawminutbyminut and Summer Dancer, with Discontinued back in fourth.
Arsenault shares ownership of the Outrageous Art-Rocket Mom colt with Don M Jr Stables of Sherwood Park, Alta., and Jackson Wittup of Calgary, Alta. Momas Work Of Art earned his fifth career win in stakes events to go along with six other top three finishes in 14 starts.
Dave Kelly and Nathan Sobey teamed up for a Gord & Illa Rumpel elimination win with 5-2 second choice Hurrikane Alley prevailing off a two-hole trip in a three-way photo finish over late-closer Blowing Inthe Wind (James Jungquist) and the first-over favourite Georgia Hanover (Phil Giesbrecht). Imashipwreck (Brandon Campbell) finished 3-3/4 lengths behind the top trio after putting up panels of :28, :58.4 and 1:27.1. Hurrikane Alley equalled her lifetime mark of 1:56.4 taken two starts ago in an conditioned pace.
Owned by Alberta's Robert Jones of Stony Plain and Archie Benekos of Calgary, the winning daughter of Stay Hungry out of Childs Play will be vying for her first stakes title and looking to bolster her 4-1-2, 17-race record.
Alberta stakes star Custard Dolce resumed her winning ways with a 1:56.2 score in the faster Rumpel elimination, with Phil Giesbrecht sending the popular Jamie Gray trainee from third to first approaching the 1:27.2 third quarter mark and drawing away by 4-1/4 lengths. Completing the top four were Chics Dragon Flies (Dave Kelly), Threecurtaincalls (Brandon Campbell) and early leader Mademechangemymind (Mike Hennessy), who put up first-half fractions of :29.2 and :58.4.
Custard Dolce, a Custard The Dragon-Blue Star West filly, boasts a near perfect 12-for-14 record for Gray and co-owner Wittup along with partners Max Gibb of Millarville, Alta., and Derek Wilson of Heritage Pointe, Alta.
In Preferred action, Western Canada's fastest pacer Shark Week had just two rivals who were able to keep up with him this week but neither could catch the big fish as he recorded his 60th career win with regular reinsman Mike Hennessy between the wheels.
Overcoming his outside post eight assignment in impressive fashion, the 3-5 favourite quickly crossed to command in the $16,000 top pacing class and led the field wire-to-wire in 1:52.2. He clocked opening panels :26.2 and :55.1 then repelled a pocket-popping move on the backside by Midnight Mover (Brandon Campbell) to three-quarters in 1:24.1. Midnight Mover tried again in the stretch with Bonus Round (Dave Kelly) also closing within reach, but Shark Week held one-length clear of those foes.
"I think that might have been his best race ever," stated trainer Rod Hennessy, who shares ownership of the seven-year-old Vertical Horizon-Shark Gone Bad gelding with Lorne Duffield of Edmonton, Alta.
The career winner of more than a half-million dollars is 11-for-14 this year, with his latest win streak in Preferred action up to four.
Nathan Sobey ended the day with a training triple while Mike Hennessy topped all drivers with a grand slam on the 12-race card.
The Mid-Summer Classic stakes finals will be contested next Saturday, Aug. 2.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.
(Standardbred Canada; photos clockwise from top left of Hands Off Harry, Momas Work Of Art, Custard Dolce and Hurrikane Alley)