Blue Burner gelding Crackle N Burn dashed to the front and faced no challengers when taking the fastest of three $7,500 eliminations for the Alberta Marksman eliminations at Century Downs with a 1:53.3 mile on Sunday, July 7.
Driver Phil Giesbrecht took control with the Rod Starkewski-owned and -trained colt heading to a :28.2 opening quarter. Outlaw Aceofspades drafted from second with Go Nine O third through middle fractions of :57.2 and 1:25.2. The pair continued to give pursuit to Crackle N Burn into the stretch as the 4-5 favourite hit the finish one-and-a-quarter lengths better than Outlaw Aceofspades while Go Nine O chased in third.
Winning his sixth race from 10 starts this season and his eighth from 19 overall, Crackle N Burn surpassed $100,000 in earnings. The Starkewski homebred paid $3.60 to win.
Kneedeep N Custard opened the card with a wire-to-wire win as the odds-on favourite in the first of the Marksman eliminations. The Kelly Hoerdt-trained and -driven son of Custard The Dragon set fractions of :27.3, :57 and 1:25.4 on the lead while chased by pocket-rider Rockin N Talkin in a 1:55 mile. Major Winker chased from third.
Co-owned by Hoerdt with Blair Corbeil and Fred Gilbert, Kneedeep N Custard won his eighths race from 12 starts, earning $56,502. He paid $3.20 to win.
Trainer-driver Paul Davies sent 2-5 favourite Outlawgrabbingears to the front and also wired his competition, taking the middle elimination in 1:55.2. The Smart Shark gelding led I Ama Rocket through splits of :28.2, :57.3 and 1:27 before advancing to a length victory. Outlaw Gunsablazin tipped wide from fifth and swept past horses late to take third.
Co-owned by Davies with Nicole Davies and Deborah Pinel, Outlawgrabbingears won his fifth race from eight starts this season and his 12th from 17 overall, earning $184,275. He paid $2.80 to win.
Following the Alberta Marksman elims favourites continued to score with 9-5 shot Ima Dude winning the $9,000 Open Pace in 1:53.3.
Driver Brandon Campbell placed the five-year-old Lil Dude Starrbuck gelding fourth as Cool Cowboy led the field through a :27.2 opening quarter. Campbell then angled wide passing a :55.3 half and closed towards the leader as the pace slowed towards three-quarters, timed in 1:24. The Sanford Campbell trainee hit the front rounding the final turn and withstood a late challenge from Iwontdothatagain to win by a length. Sabine Pass, riding cover second over, chased from third.
Owned by Jodi Loftus, Timothy Kane and George Rogers, Ima Dude won his fourth race from 12 starts this season and his 14th from 65 overall, earning $225,871. He paid $5.90 to win.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Century Downs.