Peenie and Star Ruffnready pulled off mild upsets in their respective assignments at the Preferred level during Sunday evening’s Night of Champions program at Rideau
Carleton Raceway.
Yves Filion mapped out the winning trip for Peenie in the $20,000 Preferred Pace. The five-year-old son of Real Artist tracked cover and pounced on the leaders late en route to a three-length win in 1:52.3. Sent off as the 7-2 second choice in the wagering, the Colin Johnson trainee defeated Montreal Phil and Imjustalittleguy.
Johnson shares ownership on the 26-time winner with Ecurie JGV Enrg of Laval, QC. The $10,000 payday bumped this year’s earnings to $69,675 while his overall cash stash climbed to $311,458.
Gilles Gendron guided Star Ruffnready to a narrow victory in the $20,000 Preferred Trot, and the five-year-old son of Armbro Winner needed every inch of the racetrack to get the job done. The gelding, who followed cover in the back half of the mile, used a :29-second final frame to post the win by three-quarters of a length over Paddington in a time of 1:57.1. Silverado Dream grabbed third prize.
The James Lamacchia student, who was sent off at odds of 5-1, won for just the second time this season for his partners – Pepiniere Nicky Inc of Lery and Lewis Murphy of St-Etienne-De-Beauharnois, QC. Murphy’s homebred has banked more than $245,000 in his career.
A multi-race driving competition dubbed the Coville Cup was part of the Sunday evening festivities at Rideau Carleton Raceway, with Travis Henry edging out Claude Larose by one point to win this year's title.
"I kind of pulled away from them and I didn't hear anyone behind me so I didn't have to get after her too bad," said Henry after winning the final leg of the Coville Cup with Whitemountain Sexy.
Henry clicked earlier on the program with The Love Bug (1:55.3) in Race 10.
To view Sunday’s results, click here.