The sophomore pacing colts kicked off Saturday's (July 30) stakes action at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino with Its Eds Idea and Outlaw Turn N Burn delivering as the favourites in their respective eliminations for the Brad Gunn.
Its Eds Idea went wire-to-wire in the first $10,000 Brad Gunn elimination while thwarting the first over challenge of 8-5 second choice Wrangler Cash, who ended up third as Blue Star Maverick rallied off his cover to place.
Trained and driven by Serge Masse for Edmonton-based owner Lucy Raymond, 6-5 favourite Its Eds Idea carved out panels of :29.3, :58 and 1:26.3 en route to the one and three-quarter length victory in 1:55.1. The Western Ideal-Keystone Edna colt earned his first win from 12 starts this year and a new lifetime mark.
With J.F. Gagne in the sulky, 4-5 favourite Outlaw Turn N Burn secured a two-hole trip in his elimination after forced wide to avoid early pocket breaker Keep Coming. He then out-sprinted 8-5 pacesetter Blue Star Jet (:28.2, :58.1, 1:27) with a :27.4 final quarter for a 1:55 career-best victory. Blue Star Jet stayed for second, finishing one and a quarter lengths behind, while Appellate advanced first over to show.
Donna Sarin trains the Blue Burner-Penny Lace colt, who is now four-for-nine on the season, for 8113564 Canada Ltd.
In the first of two $10,000 Ralph Klein eliminations for the fillies, 3-5 favourite Divas Dragonfly caused interference in her quest to cross the wire first, and as a result, 47-1 longshot Senga Naptha inherited the victory -- her first this year in seven starts -- for trainer/driver Ryan Grundy. Kenneth Gunn owns and bred the Blue Burner-Nells Sweet Future filly, who returned a whopping $97 for a $2 win ticket.
Senga Naptha was shuffled to the back of the eight-horse field by the third quarter mark and had rallied from last to first at the stretch before Divas Dragonfly went by and then was taken down after the judges upheld a driver's objection ruling that she had caused interference when manoeuvring out in front of One Big Hottie near the third quarter pole. Senga Naptha's winning time was 1:58.2. Cenalta Artistry was bumped to second-place. Jet Blue Burner had swept three-wide after the :27.3 first quarter in front of the grandstand and opened up six lengths on top through middle panels of :58.1 and 1:27.1 before breaking stride. She finished fourth-placed-third.
Outlawsurshotshark won the fastest Ralph Klein elimination in 1:56.1, shaving one-fifth of a second off her lifetime mark taken in her last start in the Princess Final earlier this month. Travis Cullen trains, drives and co-owns the Smart Shark-Fox Valley Cherish filly, who is now a 10-time winner from 16 starts in her debut season, with his dad Ron and the Don Byrne Stables Inc.
Witch Doctor took the lead off the gate and led the way through opening panels of :28.3 and :58.3 while 5-2 third choice Outlawsurshotshark flushed out 8-5 favourite Somewhere A Place, who cleared before three-quarters in 1:26.2. However, Outlawsurshotshark continued to advance outside and wore down Somewhere A Place in the stretch, with Monstrous and Brighten Your Life closing from the backfield for the second and third-place honours one and a half lengths behind.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.