Lookslikeachpndale defended his title in the $75,000 Honourable Earl Rowe Invitation Trot featured on the Sunday night's (August 20) harness racing card at Georgian Downs, which also hosted a round of Ontario Sires Stakes.
Luc Blais trains the five-year-old son of Muscle Hill for the Determination stable of Montreal, Que.
The three inside horses left alertly off the gate, with 4-5 favourite Windsun Revenge (Rick Zeron) taking the lead through a :27.4 opening quarter ahead of Dia Monde (Jack Moiseyev) and Musical Rhythm (Mario Bailargeon).
As they raced in front of the grandstand, Lookslikeachpndale and driver Sylvain Filion advanced from fourth and went head-to-head with the early leader past the half in :58.2.
He gained a slight advantage outside, but Windsun Revenge (Rick Zeron) fought back through three-quarters in 1:25.2 and their battle continued into the stretch. Lookslikeachpndale had the late lead and held off the oncoming Dia Monde to win in 1:54 flat. Windsun Revenge settled for third.
Sent postward as the 5-2 second choice, Lookslikeachpndale paid $7.50 to win. He entered the Rowe Memorial following a career-best 1:51.1 victory at The Meadowlands and a third-place finish in the John Cashman Jr. Memorial.
Driven by Paul MacDonell in last year's edition, he set the 1:51.3 trotting track record amidst a $230,000 campaign.
Lookslikeachpndale has now won 12 races lifetime and over $450,000 in purses.
Filion also drove Wildriverbumblebee to a 1:53 victory in the $18,800 OSS Grassroots divisions for three-year-old pacing colts. Francis Richard trains the homebred Sportswriter-Alcor Semalu colt for owner Dr. John Bradbury of Cookshire-Eaton, Que.
The Jack Darling stable had a pair of Grassroots winners with The Dark Shadow (Shadow Play-Bestofbothworlds) and Frontier Seelster (Artistic Fella-Feel The Rhythm) turning in matching 1:53.4 miles, both driven by Randy Waples.
“He’s just a really good Grassroots [horse],” said Darling of The Dark Shadow. “I was happy with him, he hung in there real game in the stretch. He’s racing good.”
“[Frontier Seelster] was sick, he’s getting over being sick, so he maybe wasn’t quite at his best tonight,” said Darling of the gelding, whose last start was in the July 22 Gold Series event at Mohawk Racetrack. “He raced good, but I just don’t think he’s quite good enough for the Gold right now.”
In addition to the two winners, Darling sent out third-place finisher Southwind General in the other split and will have three contenders for the season-ending $50,000 Championship at Mohawk Racetrack on September 30.
“Looks like the three of them are going to be in the final,” noted Darling, but first, the trio will be looking to pad their point tallies in the last regular season Grassroots event on September 11 at Mohawk.
Darling and Waples teamed up to win a total of three races on the program, with the undefeated two-year-old Burn Out Hanover, a son of Well Said and Burning Point, also scoring in 1:55.
On the undercard, Who Doesnt and Paul MacKenzie won an $11,000 Preferred Handicap Pace in 1:53.1 for trainer Travis Cullen while Allies Gift took the $7,500 Preferred 3 Trot in a career-best 1:54.4 with Filion driving for trainer Jean Francois Maguire.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Georgian Downs.
(With files from OSS)