Streaks Extended At Century Saturday

Virtual Horizon, G Ts Skyla, and Shark Week each took home victories in their respective assignments on the Mid-Summer Classic card at Century Downs on Saturday (Aug. 12) to extend their impressive win streaks.

Virtual Horizon capped off the card at Century, winning the $114,250 Ralph Klein Memorial final for three-year-old colts and geldings and winning his 11th race from 11 starts this season.

Run N Raisins (Jamie Gray) cleared the early lead and took his field of nine to the opening panel in :27.4 while favoured Virtual Horizon (Brandon Campbell) was caught on the outside in second. Virtual Horizon stepped on the gas to take over, leading through panels in :57 and 1:25 before winning by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:54.3. Over The Horizon (Nathan Sobey) finished second with General Custard (Colin Kelly) rounding out the top three.

Campbell trains Virtual Horizon for owners Jodi Loftus, George Rogers and Raymond Henry. The Vertical Horizon-Saucy B colt has won 14 of 18 lifetime starts, yielding a career sum of $286,563. He paid $3.20 to win.

G Ts Skyla won the $101,770 Gord And Illa Rumpel Memorial Stakes final for the sophomore fillies, earning her sixth win in a row.

G Ts Skyla and Logan Gillis got away second as Beep Bop A Lula (Kelly) took the field of nine to the quarter in :28.2. G Ts Skyla took over to lead to the half in :56.4 before moving back into second at the three-quarters in 1:24.3 as the result of a first-over Side Piece (Campbell). G Ts Skyla pressed on to regain command around the final turn and sprinted through a :28.4 last quarter en route to a 4-1/4-length achievement in 1:53.2. Side Piece finished second and Beep Bop A Lula was third.

Scott McGinn trains the Mystician-G Ts Selene daughter as she earned her seventh win in eight starts this season, giving herself a career record of 9-2-0 in 12 starts with $172,010 in purse earnings. 

Shark Week used a gate-to-wire trip to win the $14,000 Preferred Pace, stopping the timer in 1:50.3 and collecting his eight win in a row.

Mike Hennessy and Shark Week sprinted out of post five and took command of the field. Charging through panels in :26.4, :55.1 and 1:23.3, the Rod Hennessy trainee used a last quarter in :27 to win by three lengths. Ernesto Delacruz (J.F. Gagne) took second and Samba Beat (Phil Giesbrecht) finished third.

Owned by Lorne Duffield and Rod Hennessy, five-year-old Shark Week earned his 13th win this season in 16 starts for earnings of $93,990. He boasts a career record of 33-8-11 in 67 starts and $292,475 in earnings.  The cover feature of the August 2023 issue of TROT Magazine paid $2.20 to win.

Mike Hennessy doubled up in feature race driving victories after Tiempo Hanover made every pole a winning one in the $11,000 Preferred 2 Pace, posting an upset victory as the second longest shot on the board at 10-1.

Hennessy sent the Brandon Campbell trainee out of post two and cleared the lead, where Tiempo Hanover would post panels in :27.3, :55.4 and 1:24.1. Down the lane, Tiempo Hanover rolled on to a three-quarter length victory in 1:54.4. Matts A Mystician (Sobey) closed sharply to take second and Vertical Squirt (Clint Warrington) finished third.

Jodi Loftus, Dana Shore and Raymond Henry co-own the nine-year-old Western Ideal gelding as he earned his second win of the season and 28th career victory. He boasts a career total of $291,849. Tiempo Hanover paid $22.30 to win.

In High Cotton, driven by her trainer Kelly Hoerdt, won the $14,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace.

Hoerdt sent his trainee from the far outside in the field of six, but was caught on the outside through the opening panel in :27.1 as Outlaw Sharktastic (Sobey) held the rail real estate. In High Cotton cleared and took the field to the half in :56.2, but was met by a first-over Miss Itunes (Giesbrecht) as they passed the three-quarters in 1:24.2. Miss Itunes retreated while In High Cotton pressed on. Once again, she was met by a foe, this time Outlaw Sharktastic, down the stretch. Outlaw Sharktastic put up a hefty fight and used a last quarter in :29, but was bested at the wire by a head by In High Cotton in 1:53.4. Metaki (Campbell) took third.

Hoerdt co-owns the five-year-old Somebeachsomewhere daughter with Blair & Erna Corbeil. In High Cotton moved her seasonal record to 10-4-2 in 22 starts and lifted her earnings to $72,550 for 2023. She tallied her 19th career victory while boosting her lifetime earnings to $199,017. She paid $7.30 to win.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.