Favoured sophomore fillies Crackers Hot Shot and Barona Lilac shared the spotlight on Saturday afternoon at Alberta Downs after posting a pair of winning performances in Alberta Sires Stakes eliminations for the Alberta Diamond
Driven by Bill Tainsh Jr. for Lamont trainer and owner Rod Starkewski, Alberta Princess champion Crackers Hot Shot went from last to first to win her six-horse field elimination by half a length over pacesetter Emotions Run Wild (Kelly Hoerdt) in a career-best 1:55.2. Blue Star West (Jamie Gray) finished three and three-quarter lengths behind in third.
The Camcracker-Shesahotshot filly earned her fifth win of the season in eight starts. Her career bankroll now sits just shy of the $100,000 mark.
In the second elimination, Ralph Klein Breeders Stakes winner Barona Lilac followed the cover of early trailer Cenalta Fireworks (Rene Goulet) and sprinted home in :28.2 to prevail by two lengths in 1:56.4 for trainer/driver Kelly Hoerdt. G Ts Selene (Bill Tainsh Jr.) finished nearly nine lengths behind in third.
Hoerdt and fellow Beaumont resident Blair Corbeil share ownership of the Ameripan Gigolo-Solheim miss, who scored her second win in 10 starts this year and lifted her lifetime earnings to over $70,000.
The $50,000 (added) Alberta Diamond Final will take place next Saturday, August 24 at Alberta Downs.
In other action, Kg Art Dreamer matched his own 1:51.2 track record for older pacers in consecutive starts since being claimed for $9,000 on July 29.
Brandon Campbell drives and trains the speedy pacer, who set the record in his last outing on Aug. 5, for Timothy Kane of St. Albert and Jim MacPhail of Calgary.
The six-year-old gelded son of Artsplace established the lead from the outside post six in the fourth race and carved out fractions of :26.3, :55.2 and 1:22.2 en route to the six and three-quarter length triumph, his 22nd lifetime. Bachelor Pad (Gerry Hudon) and Sixdaysontheroad (Bill Tainsh Jr.) followed in second and third.
Alberta Downs owner Robert Allen recently announced that he will reward the connections of Alberta Downs' first sub-1:50 winner with a $5,000 bonus. The current all-age track record stands at 1:50.2 and was set by Alberta-sired three-year-old gelding Clintons Escape and trainer/driver Keith Clark on July 25, 2010 in the Brad Gunn Stakes.
A field of Open pacers will face off on Sunday afternoon's card, which gets underway at 1:15 p.m.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Alberta Downs.