Century Downs hosted a stakes-filled card of harness racing on Saturday, Aug. 1. Mike Hennessy made the afternoon his personal playground, teaming up with his father Rod for the majority of his successes.
After being shut out early, Hennessy found his groove in the middle of the card and reeled off five consecutive victories in Races 5-10. )Yes, that's actually six races, but he didn't have a drive in the eighth.)
Capping Hennessy's five bagger was the biggest upset of the day. In the first $12,500 elimination of the Ralph Klein Memorial for three-year-old male pacers, Rockin Buddy and Hennessy blew up the tote board with a 42-1 upset.
Hennessy launched Rockin Buddy away from post eight off the gate to land on top before the opening turn. He yielded to 3-4 choice Edwin Hanover (Dave Kelly) through a :27.2 opening quarter, and then followed in the pocket as Edwin Hanover carved out middle fractions of :57.2 and 1:25.1. With Ruler Of Dragons (Phil Giesbrecht) stalling first up, Rockin Buddy vacated the pocket and lunged past the pacesetter to win by a length in a lifetime best 1:54.3. Edwin Hanover stayed for second, followed by Outlaw Country On (Drew Campbell) and Ruler Of Dragons.
The 4-1 third choice on the morning line, Rockin Buddy paid $87.50 to win. The son of Shadow Play-Rockin Mystery is trained by Rod Therres for owner Veikko Pajunen of Vancouver, B.C. In eight starts, he sports a summary of 5-1-2.
Vladdy G ($4.80) needed every bit of the Century stretch, forging past favoured Boleto A Mexico to prevail in the second Klein elimination. Leaving from post four for trainer-driver Logan Gillis, Vladdy G sat the two hole behind the 4-5 Boleto A Mexico (Jamies Gray) through fractions of :27.4, :57.4 and 1:25.3. Angled for the stretch drive, Vladdy G connected with the wire just ahead of Boleto A Mexico, winning by a generous head or a short neck in 1:54.1 to match his lifetime best. Bet He Rocks (Brandon Campbell) and Kissinger (Drew Campbell) were next across the wire.
Owned by Todd Teolis of St. Albert, Alta., Vladdy G (Captive Audience-Alina) picked up his third win in seven seasonal starts. In those seven outings, he's yet to finish worse than second.
Saturday's card also featured a pair of $12,500 eliminations for the Gord & Illa Rumpel Memorial, with the final of this race and the Klain sharing the spotlight in one week's time for the Midsummer Classic card on Aug. 8.
Pup ($2.30) was an easy 1:54.3 winner in the first $12,500 Rumpel elimination, cutting all the fractions and looking confident for her sixth win in seven starts. Jamie Gray landed the daughter of Dali-Dog Soldier on top before a :28.3 opening quarter and there wasn't an anxious moment from there. After middle fractions of :58.3 and 1:26, Pup scampered home in :28.3 to win by nearly two lengths. Blue Star Aspite (Rod Therres), Chasing The Dragon (Brandon Campbell) and Rockin Custard (Blaine Chappell) completed the top four to advance to next week's final.
Gray trains Pup for Wild Dunes Stables of Delta, B.C. and Gray Racing Inc. of Sturgeon County, Alta.
Terrible Custard (21.70) kicked off the five-win performance from Mike Hennessy, coming first up on 1-9 favourite Josies Joules (Kelly) after she chopped out identical :28.2 opening fractions for a :56.4 half. After a 1:24 third station, Terrible Custard powered away from that pacesetter in the stretch for a lifetime best 1:53.3 tally. Blue Star Strike (Drew Campbell) edged out Josies Joules for second, with Mystery Shooter (Nathan Sobey) in for fourth to punch her ticket to the Rumpel final.
A homebred of Edmonton's Lorne Duffield, Terrible Custard now sports three wins this season and four in her 19-start career.
Rookies shared in the stakes spotlight with two-year-olds tussling in three $18,167-plus divisions of the Alberta Rising Star for male pacers and three $18,467-plus Alberta Starlet divisions for pacing fillies.
Shark Edition delivered on his 3-5 pari-mutuel estimation with a wire-to-wire 1:57.2 score in the first $18,167 Alberta Rising Star division. The son of Smart Shark - Outlaw Ltd Edition powered through panels of :29, :59.1 and 1:28.1 before holding off a pocket-popping Dunngannigans (Nathan Sobey) at the wire by a neck in the lifetime best effort. Somewhat Tipsy completed the top trio.
Now two-for-three in his young career, Shark Edition ($3.20) is owned by breeder and trainer Rod Starkewski of Lamont with co-breeder and co-owner Clauzette Byckal of Onoway, Alta.
The sale topper from last year's ASHA Yearling Sale, Forbearance impressed in his pari-mutuel debut with a 1:56.2 effort in his $18,467 division. Brandon Campbell sat the son of Custard The Dragon-Panagler off the early speed set by Sir Talkalot (Sobey) and Captain J (Mike Hennessy) through panels of :29.1, :58.4 and 1:26.4, then closed with authority down the lane for the win by just less than a length. Sir Talkalot finished second with Captain J next across the wire.
A $137,000 yearling, Forbearance is trained by Campbell and he co-owns the grey gelding with Raymond Henry and George Rogers of Calgary, Alta.
Y V Michters made every call a winning one in the third Rising Star division, going all the way for driver Dave Kelly in 1:57.2. After fractions of :29, 1:00.2 and 1:28, Y V Michters sprinted away from his rivals with a :29.2 closer to best Sam Credit (Hennessy) by 1-1/2 lengths. Captains Ferrari (Drew Campbell) sped home for third.
Trained by co-owner Starkewski, Y V Michters is co-owned by his breeder, Christopher Lambie of Rockyview County, Alta. The son of Captain Deo-Dime Hanover picked up his first career win in this $18,467 test, paying $8.50 to win.
Sloppy Monster ($5.70) wasn't the cleanest of winners in her Alberta Starlet division, but the daughter of Captain Deo-Getter Queen Flush found her way to the winner's circle for the first time in her young career. Racing first up through a :28.3 opening quarter and :58.2 half for Mike Hennessy, Sloppy Monster found the front down the backside before the 1:27 third quarter and then fended off Myartsdesire (Sobey) to win by 1-1/2 lengths. Somebody Save Me (Gray) completed the top trio.
Co-owned by her trainer along with Lorne Duffield of Edmonton and Diane Hennessy of Lacombe, Alta., Sloppy Monster mustered her first career win in her second appearance. She paid $5.70 to win.
Blue Star Shania completed the natural hat trick for Team Hennessy in the second Alberta Starlet division, fending off her challengers in a maiden-breaking 1:58.4 effort. Mike Hennessy asked the daughter of Captain Deo-Blue Star Dreaming to cut the mile from the rail, and she obliged with grit and determination. After fractions of :28.4, 1:00 and 1:28.2 while under siege down the backside, Blue Star Shania dug deep and prevailed over Cenalta Reflection (Kelly) and favoured Captain Tahiti (Giesbrecht) for the victory by half a length.
Also co-owned by her trainer along with Duffield and Diane Hennessy, Blue Star Shania picked up her first win in her second career start. She paid $8.70 to win.
Dixieland Delight ($2.50) delivered on her 1-4 proposition in the third Alberta Starlet division, hanging on by a head in a 1:59.1. After pacing through fractions of :27.4, :58.1 and 1:27, driver James Jungquist urged the filly home to fend off the late rally from Miss Melanie (Giesbrecht) for the narrow victory. Montana Sky (Kelly) completed the triactor ticket.
Harold Haining trains Dixieland Delight, a daughter of Captain Deo-Miss Conduct owned by breeder Donald Richardson of Cochrane, Alta. She's now two-for-three in her career.
In addition to Mike Hennessy's four aforementioned stakes scores, he teamed with father Rod to win the only overnight event of the afternoon, winning a $12,000 conditioned race with Blue Star Mercury (1:54; $17.40) to provide the elder Hennessy with his fourth winner on the day.
For full results from the stakes-slammed card of harness racing outside Calgary, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.
(Standardbred Canada; photo of Rockin Buddy)