Driver Darren Crowe worked out a perfect trip aboard Risin Horizon to take the featured Winners Over Pace on Friday evening (July 8) at Truro Raceway after guiding his own trainee Southside Eddy to a record victory earlier on the card.
With the inside post advantage in the featured $2,500 seventh race, Good Friday Three (Jeff Ellis) assumed command at the start and led the field of five through opening fractions of :28 and :57 with a three-length advantage before Crowe and Risin Horizon popped the pocket at the 1:26.1 third quarter mark and Well Did (Ken Parker Jr.) launched three-wide.
Risin Horizon took over turning for home and finished 1-1/2 lengths on top at the end of the 1:56.3 mile with a three-way battle raging behind for second. Harry G (Ernest Laffin) shot up the passing lane to nab the runner-up honours over Good Friday Three and Well Did. Johnnywalkerdelux (Emmons MacKay), the 7-5 favourite, completed the order after gapping the field throughout.
Risin Horizon paid $6.40 to win as the 2-1 third choice.
Trained by Gardner McCallum, the four-year-old Vertical Horizon gelding is now two-for-five since arriving at Truro last month for the Wont Back Down Stable of North River, N.S. The win was his sixth this year from 18 starts overall.
Crowe also guided his own trainee Southside Eddy to a 20-1/2-length blowout victory in a 1:53.3 track record for three-year-old pacing colts.
In the evening's second race, the Betterthancheddar-Ainsleynoelle colt drove on three-wide from the outside post six and made front at the quarter pole in :28.3. From there, he extended his lead through middle splits of :56.4 and 1:25.1 and was long gone before closing it out with a :28.2 final frame. Maximumlovin (Clare MacDonald) and Bettor On Than Off (Laffin) were the best of the rest.
Southside Eddy shaved four-fifths of a second off Batterup Hanover's colt track record that was set last June. (The 1:52.2 overall three-year-old record for males is held by gelding Woodmere Stealdeal.)
Fresh off a dominant Canada Day victory, Southwide Eddy was the 3-5 favourite and paid $3.40 to win. Unraced as a two-year-old, the speedy colt has won half of his six starts so far this year for owners Diane Livingstone of Halifax, N.S. and Brian Livingstone of Spring, Texas.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Truro Raceway.