The Saturday, Aug. 25 card at Century Downs featured a total of eight $12,500 divisions for the ASHA Stakes with two divisions each for both sexes of frosh and soph Alberta-sired pacers.
Three-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace
Trainer-driver Kelly Hoerdt swept both $12,500 ASHA divisions for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
In the first division, Peace Out Posse ($45.60) and Hoerdt sprung a 21-1 upset, but needed some luck to find his way into the race. After stalking from fourth in the field of five behind odds-on favourite Cheddar Jack's (Paul Davies) half of :57.3, Peace Out Posse inherited the pocket when Cheddar Jack broke stride up the far side and forced Freedoms Rescue (Dave Kelly) to break as well.
Screen Test (Brandon Campbell) inherited the lead en route to the 1:25.2 three-quarter split, but Peace Out Posse was able to angle out and wear him down by three-quarters of a length in 1:54.3.
Hoerdt co-owns Peace Out Posse, a winner only one other time this year, with Blair and Erna Corbeil.
In the second division (race two), Custards Laststand ($3.60) used more conventional tactics to reach the winner's enclosure, taking advantage of second-over cover behind Mortgage My Villa (Nathan Sobey) before powering clear in the stretch by 1-1/2 lengths to win in 1:54.4. Mortgage My Villa held second over Outlaw True Grit (Rodney Starkewski), who chased from third-over to finish third.
Custards Laststand, also owned by Hoerdt in partnership with Blair Corbeil, was the runner-up in the $125,000 Ralph Klein Memorial and $45,700 Alberta Plainsman Stakes earlier this season. He has won 10 of 23 races in his career, and six this season.
Two-Year-Old Filly Pace
Odds-on favourites failed to convert in either of the $12,500 ASHA divisions for two-year-old pacing fillies, paving the way for Maxsamian ($13.60) and Raging Chihuahua ($21.30) to spring upsets in their respective divisions.
In the first division (race three), Maxsamian and Dave Kelly landed in the pocket from post 7 to draft behind Lady Neigh Neigh (Campbell) through comfortable splits of :28.2, :59 and 1:27.2. When Lady Neigh Neigh broke on the final turn, Maxsamian fell into a two-length lead over How About Starting (Keith Clark), and maintained 1-1/4 lengths of it at the winning post in 1:59. Bearcat Romi (Jamie Gray) rallied from last to take third.
Morinne Kennedy owns the Rodney Starkewski-trained daughter of Mystery Chase, who earned the third win of her career.
The second division (race four) saw third-time starter Raging Chihuahua work for the pocket behind fours-on choice Gin Twist (Paul Davies) through a :28 quarter before stalking a backstretch duel between Gin Twist and Lollipop Yacht (Hoerdt), who emerged from third up the far side to force a 1:27 three-quarters split.
Room availed for Raging Chihuahua and trainer-driver Richard Remillard to vacate the pocket as Lollipop Yacht faded, and the daughter of Custard The Dragon collared her odds-on foe by half a length in 1:57.4. Stash The Cookies (Rod Hennessy) lifted off third-over cover to finish third.
Remillard shares ownership of Raging Chihuahua, who scored her first ever win, with Jim Wilson and Valerie Emerson.
Three-Year-Old Filly Pace
Driver Jamie Gray swept the sophomore filly splits of the ASHA with Bearcat Josi and, from his own barn, Nice Aint My Color.
Bearcat Josi sat third as You Talk Too Much opened a four-length lead to the quarter in :27.3. Gray held firm at the rail while pocket-sitter and odds-on favourite Cusdmagicdragon sealed the gap heading to the half, timed in :56.3. Cusdamagicdragon then angled first over approaching three-quarters while Bearcat Josi stalked at the rail through the 1:25 clocking.
You Talk Too Much began to retreat into the final turn leaving Cusdmagicdragon on the lead and forcing Bearcat Josi to move around the fading leader. The Douglas Stout-trained daughter of Blue Burner edged past Cusdmagicdragon through the stretch in progress to a one-and-one-half length victory in 1:54, equaling the track record, with You Talk Too Much eight lengths back in third.
Out of the Brandons Cowboy mare Barona Josie, Bearcat Josi won her second race in 12 starts this season and her sixth in 20 overall, earning $86,821. Derek Stout owns the $14.20 winner.
Gray’s other winner, Nice Aint My Color, stuck to the rear of the field moving to the opening quarter while Hot Kiss set the pace with a :28 first split. Nice Aint My Color caught cover after tipping wide to the half as Born A Dragon, positioned fourth, flushed first over after Hot Kiss who posted a :57.1 half.
Drawing within two lengths of the lead, Nice Aint My Color tracked Born A Dragon as she stuck her neck into contention behind Hot Kiss through a 1:25.2 third quarter. Gray circled wide with Nice Aint My Color into the lane and kicked to a two-length lead while Born A Dragon chased and My Day, edging off the rail, weaved herself into the competition late and finished second at the line. No Mo Fo Joe, the 4-5 favourite and pocket sitter, took third.
Nice Aint My Color collected her fifth win in 20 starts this season and in 29 overall, earning $52,020. By Custard The Dragon out of the Artsplace mare Art Amour, the $9.50 winner competes for the Wild Dunes Stables.
Two-Year-Old Colt and Gelding Pace
Outlawgrabbingears shot towards the front in the backstretch and narrowly claimed victory in the first frosh colt division as the odds-on favourite in 1:56.
Paul Davies trains and drove the Smart Shark colt into sixth as Thunder Alley contested for the top wide of Bad Moon Rising in :28.2. Clearing command, Thunder Alley slowed the pace and prompted I Ama Rocket to launch a first-over bid with Outlawgrabbingears on his back through a 1:00 half.
I Ama Rocket took control moving into the backstretch while Thunder Alley lost ground to the rail. Outlawgrabbingears tucked into the pocket by three-quarters in 1:28.1 in preparation for his homestretch pursuit of the new leader. The two matched strides through the lane with Outlawgrabbingears getting his nose in front on the wire to hand I Ama Rocket second place. Bad Moon Rising finished third eight lengths away.
Davies owns the colt out of the Artsplace mare Grand Slam Woman with partners Nicole Cecchin and Deobrah Pinel. Outlawgrabbingears, paying $2.60 to win, won his third race in four starts, earning $27,300.
Trainer Rod Starkewski nabbed his second of three wins on the card with Crackle N Burn, who blewout his competition by six-and-three-quarter lengths as the 2-5 favourite in 1:57.1.
Rock N Roll Dragon held control through a :29.4 opening quarter while driver Phil Giesbrecht placed Crackle N Burn fourth prior to pulling first over. Advancing towards the lead past a 1:00.4 half, Crackle N Burn took command by two length progressing to three-quarters with Loaded Deck, tracking the favourite’s move, following suit in second. Timed in 1:28.3, Crackle N Burn widened his lead into the stretch as Senga Savannah snagged second from Loaded Deck holding third.
Starkewski also owns Crackle N Burn, who won his second race in four starts. The colt by Blue Burner, out of the Camcracker mare Crackers Hot Shot, has earned $21,675 so far this season and paid $2.50 to win.
Outlaw Toosieroll ($12.50) completed Starkewski’s Saturday hat trick with a wire-to-wire performance in 2:01 against a $7,500 maiden claiming field.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results – Century Downs.