The betting public was bang on when it came to identifying the main contenders in Monday’s Preferred features at Grand River Raceway, with race favourites Alex Having Fun and Heavens Showgirl A winning their respective assignments.
Alex Having Fun went wire-to-wire for driver Brett MacDonald and trainer Richard Moreau in the $11,000 Preferred Handicap for pacing horses and geldings.
MacDonald hustled him to the top from Post 5 and together they sliced out fractions of :28.2, :59.1 and 1:27.2 before sprinting home in :28.1 to win by 2-3/4 lengths over Dragon Energy in 1:55.3. Yacht Seelster was third.
The five-year-old son of Rock N Roll Heaven-Arterra now boasts a 5-5-6 record from 25 trips to the track this season. The lion’s share of the purse bumped his overall bankroll to $152,039.
Heavens Showgirl A used a come-from-behind approach for driver Tyler Moore to take home top prize in the $10,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred for pacers.
Moore got away sixth with the seven-year-old daughter of Rock N Roll Heaven-Miss Deville while Major League N ripped through early fractions of :27 and :55.3. Heavens Showgirl N came first up on the way to the half, and she used a powerful brush to make the lead in the backstretch. She hit the three-quarter pole in 1:24.2 before using a :30.1 final frame to win by 1-3/4 lengths over Whatineedisaman. Saulsbrook Jessie rounded out the Trifecta ticket.
Trainer Don Lindsey co-owns the distaffer with Paul Kleinpaste, Will Alempijevic and Garth Bechtel. The victory was her third of the season and the 15th of her career. She’s now banked in excess of $150,000 to date.
To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results – Grand River Raceway.