Eliminations for the Gord & Illa Rumpel Memorial took centre stage on Sunday afternoon (July 29) at Century Downs, as the three-year-old pacing fillies squared off in a pair of $10,000 dashes.
In the first elimination, the bay Roll With Joe lass No Mo Fo Joe ($8.10) excelled off of a Post 1 start and recorded a wire-to-wire win in a life’s best 1:54.
After have been sent off at odds of 3-1, the Diane Bertrand-owned No Mo Fo Joe got things all her way through the first three quarters of the tilt (:28.4, :57.4, 1:25.1).
No Mo Fo Joe faced some pressure in the final quarter, as Blue Grotto (driven by Kelly Hoerdt), the 4-5 post-time choice, sustained a first-up bid from the backstretch. True Horizon (Phil Giesbrecht) had also come calling from third in the final panel.
A photo was needed to determine the place spot, and, after review, it was determined that Blue Grotto finished second and True Horizon third. Roaring Home (Keith Clark) and Pez Dispenser (JF Gagne) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
No Mo Fo Joe has now compiled a sophomore record of 6-4-2 from 16 seasonal starts and has banked $32,350 thus far in her ’18 campaign. Her 1:54 mile shaved two-fifths of a second off of her career mark.
In the second elim, the Jim Marino-trained and driven Scardy Cat ($3.90) shrugged off the outside Post 7 and went on to also post a wire-to-wire win in 1:54. The clocking also went down as a new life’s mark for the JJJ Stables’ homebred, who is by Sportswriter.
After having surveyed the competition off the start, Marino opted to drive on with Scardy Cat, who got to the point just before the quarter pole flashed to life in :28.2. The 4-5 post-time choice got things her way from there (:57.1, 1:25.1) and had enough in the tank to dispose of her rivals via a :28.4 final quarter.
After having stalked the pace throughout the mile, Bearcat Josi (Jamie Grey) finished up well and came on for second. Hot Kiss (Kelly Hoerdt) took a pocket trip through the fractions and finished third. You Talk Too Much (Keith Clark) finished fourth and Ginger Beer (Phil Giesbrecht) fifth.
The win was the second of Scardy Cat’s six-race sophomore campaign. She has now earned $26,760 this year. Overall, she has won six of her 11 races and over $108,000 in purses.
To view the harness racing results for Sunday at Century, click the following link: Sunday Results – Century Downs.