Trotting mare Rockin With Dewey and driver Bob McClure pulled off a 28-1 upset in the $100,000 Honourable Earl Rowe Memorial on an action-packed Saturday night of racing at Georgian Downs.
Trainer Ben Baillargeon swept the top two spots in the 29th edition of Georgian Downs' signature race as Rockin With Dewey overtook her stablemate, Murmur Hanover, turning for home and prevailed by one length in 1:53.2.
Murmur Hanover, driven by Baillargeon's brother Mario, fought past eventual breaker Bags For All (Trevor Henry) and Riveting Rosie (Scott Coulter) off the gate to take the lead through a :26.4 opening quarter. As Murmur Hanover raced in front of the grandstand and towards the half in :56.4, McClure sent Rockin With Dewey first over from third while Daylon Magician (Jack Moiseyev) tracked her cover. Rockin With Dewey trotted up alongside Murmur Hanover down the backstretch and edged ahead of her stablemate at three-quarters in 1:25.3 before drawing clear around the final turn. Rockin With Dewey then held off Murmur Hanover and Daylon Magician down the stretch for her 13th career win. Intimidate (Yves Filion) finished fourth and favourite E L Titan (Riina Rekila) was fifth.
Rockin With Dewey paid $59.30 to win and combined with Murmur Hanover for a $336.00 exactor.
Baillargeon shares ownership of the five-year-old Deweycheatumnhowe mare with breeder Diane Ingham. The win was her third in 16 starts this year and pushes her earnings to $148,060 for 2015 and $458,122 lifetime.
Just prior to the main event, McClure also won the $15,000 Innisfil Pace as ICR Racing's Champagne Phil ($12.30) closed late from the backfield to score in 1:52.4 over Boomboom Ballykeel while Ufdragons Rocket and Savage Seelster finished third in a dead-heat. Dean Nixon trains the five-year-old Shanghai Phil gelding.
In the $10,000 Wardens Pace, Kendal Gucci ($23.10) followed Brescia Seelster's cover down the backstretch and defeated that mare by one and a half lengths in a career-best 1:52.2, with Shellyssilvermoon back in third. Paul MacKenzie engineered the winning trip aboard the six-year-old Life Sign mare for trainer Jonah Moase and co-owner Michael Folkins.
Driven by Trevor Henry for brothers Isaac and Aaron Waxman, Beach Hero ($3.10) cruised wire-to-wire in 1:51.4 for his second straight Preferred 3 victory in a four-day span. Derby Dylan and Whosurpal rounded out the top three finishers in the $8,500 race, finishing one and a half lengths behind the five-year-old Jennas Beach Boy gelding.
After watching an early three-way tussle for the lead in the $12,500 Preferred 2 Handicap Trot, WEG circuit invader Body Balance ($8.70) went on the attack first over and took the lead at three-quarters with Robert Shepherd in the sulky for trainer Chantal Mitchell. Doug Millard's five-year-old Yankee Glide gelding then opened up five and three-quarters lengths down the stretch to win in 1:54 with early leader Exemplar holding off Muscle Matters and Wheeling N Dealin in a three-across race for place.
Georgian Downs also hosted it's second Racing Under Saddle event of the season during the card with nine trotters and riders vying for a purse of $5,000. Tragically Shipp ($16.80) and rider Natalie Elliott overtook early leader Radical Dreamer down the backside and held off the quick-closing Wine Photo to win by a quarter-length in 1:59.4. Ale Ale Jandro rounded out the top three finishers.
Elliott earned her fourth under saddle victory of the season, but first aboard the season-debuting Tragically Shipp, a nine-year-old Shipps Speed gelding trained by Lee Watson and owned by Lynne and David Magee.
The next scheduled Racing Under Saddle Ontario event is set for Sept. 12 at Hiawatha Horse Park.
Georgian Downs wrapped up their 2015 Ontario Sires Stakes season on Saturday evening with four impressive Grassroots performances from the three-year-old pacing fillies.
Stonebridge Quest paced the quickest mile of the four $18,000 divisions, rocketing around the Georgian Downs oval to a one and one-half length victory in 1:51.4. The Camluck daughter and driver Trevor Henry powered away from post seven as the heavy favourites and controlled the pace from start to finish, ringing up fractions of :27.2, :56 and 1:23.3 on their way to the win. Warrawee Qually and Brown Brinny finished second and third.
Henry engineered Stonebridge Quest’s third Grassroots win of the season for trainer Andrew McCabe and owners Glenview Livestock Ltd. and Angie Stiller. The Grassroots Championship winner at two, Stonebridge Quest currently sits second in the division standings with 150 points, assuring her of a berth in the Semi-finals.
The top 20 point-earners following the last regular season event, at Mohawk Racetrack on Sept. 7, will compete in the Sept. 18 Semi-finals, also at Mohawk, and the top five finishers from each Semi-final will return to the Campbellville, Ont. oval for the $50,000 Grassroots Championship on Sept. 26.
In addition to the win with Stonebridge Quest, Henry also piloted Evas Girl to victory in the last Grassroots division. Evas Girl also lined up behind the number seven on the Georgian Downs starting gate, but Henry opted for a different strategy with the Rambaran daughter, easing away from the start and landing on the rail in fifth. From that vantage point, Henry watched Nationalize lead the field to a :26.4 quarter and a :55.3 half and then decided to send Evas Girl into the outer lane. When the fillies leading the charge up the outer lane failed to make any gains on the leader, Henry sent Evas Girl out three-wide and the filly had a short lead by the 1:24.2 three-quarters, which she had increased to five lengths by the finish. The 1:53.2 clocking was a personal-best for Evas Girl. I Wonder Why and Windsun Chanel completed the top three.
Isaac Waxman trains Evas Girl for Aaron Waxman, Alan Alber, and Crawford Partners LLC. In three Grassroots starts, the filly now has two wins and one third for a total of 112 points and a share of fourth spot in the standings.
Division leader Dublin Rose captured her third Grassroots trophy in the third division at Georgian Downs on Saturday. The Major In Art daughter delivered an impressive effort that saw her pressing pacesetter Machmeter for most of the mile before pulling away to a one-half length victory in the stretch. Much Adoo and Twin B Honour finished second and third in the 1:53 mile.
Purchased by Jerry Clark from breeder Allen Tomlinson following her Aug. 14 Grassroots start, Dublin Rose was making her first outing from trainer Dave Menary’s barn. Driver Robert Shepherd steered the fan favourite to the win. With three wins and one second in the first four Grassroots events, Dublin Rose has accumulated 175 points.
In the other Sires Stakes division, Lovely Erin earned the first Grassroots trophy of her career with a hard-fought effort that saw her pressed through every step of the mile. The Sportswriter daughter hit the wire a neck in front of Got Some Spark and War Filly in 1:54.1 to secure the win.
Nick Steward piloted Lovely Erin to the win for trainer Ron Adams and owner 1362313 Ontario Ltd. Third in her Grassroots debut at Mohawk Racetrack on Aug. 14, Lovely Erin has 62 points and will be looking to pad that total in the last regular season event.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Georgian Downs.
(With files from OSS)