It was a case of Thursday evening déjà vu for the tandem of trainer Mark Steacy and driver Richard Simard, as the duo joined forces to win three races at Rideau Carleton Raceway for the second week in a row.
Simard added another catch-driving victory to bring his win total to four by the end of the night, but the majority of his wins were achieved with starters from the stable of conditioner Steacy.
They clicked with the Majestic Son gelding High Blue in 2:01 in Race 2, and they were back to victory lane in Race 5 with the Rocknroll Hanover gelding Brandis Hanover, who paced his mile in 1:58.1. They also came together to capture Race 11 with Keystone Isabella, who front-stepped her way to a 2:00 triumph by 6-3/4 lengths.
Simard also added a win with the Rheau Viau-trained Cool Touch in Race 9. The 10-year-old son of Dream Vacation halted the teletimer in 1:59.1.
The training triple on the card gives Steacy 33 wins and counting for the season. The veteran conditioner is just seven wins away from 1,300 lifetime wins, and he’s less than $3,000 shy of hitting $16 million in lifetime earnings.
As for Simard, he’s just one win away from registering the 5,500th win of his career. The veteran sulky sitter has racked up purse earnings in excess of $30 million since he started driving horses back in the early eighties.
To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Rideau Carleton Raceway.