Track announcer Brock McEachern was accurate in his stretch call stating that "it's a cloudy day, but you can still see 'The Shadow'" in the Saturday (July 28) feature at Exhibition Park Raceway.
A field of four competitive pacers lined up in the $1,350 Winners Over Pace, with Instant Shadow and driver Stephen Trites garnering the most public support from post four. Trites left strongly off the gate to vie for the early lead but was stonewalled by brother Todd, who had rail control with Good Friday Three, and that inside post allowed him to gain control of the race through a :29 opener panel and :59.4 half.
Instant Shadow was antsy in the pocket heading down the backstretch, thus Stephen Trites right-lined his horse to challenge the pacesetter. Good Friday Three tried to stay with the outer flow foe but faded enough for Instant Shadow to clear through a 1:29.2 third station. The backfield could not catch Instant Shadow, who opened a two-length top-of-the-stretch lead to three by the wire, reached in 1:59.3. Union Man Hanover (Dr. Mitch Downey) gave chase to place with City Of The Year (Luke Armstrong) completing the top three.
Trained by Sifroi Melanson for the Ultimate Stable and Robert Kyle of N.B., Instant Shadow now boasts a 4-2-1 summary from 11 seasonal starts with 19 lifetime wins and earnings exceeding $25,000.
Also on Saturday at EPR, the NBSBOA recognized Caretakers Day. President Sam Hodgin presented caretakers Natalie Wood, Ellen Stevenson, Krysten Phillips and Kate MacNeil with goodie bags with hats from Standardbred Canada and fudge from Cobble Lane Fudge Factory.
For the charts from Saturday's card of harness racing at Exhibition Park, click the following link: Saturday Results - Exhibition Park Raceway.