Royalty Beer raised his glass to a commanding victory in the third and fastest $9,000 division of the Pop-Up Series first leg at Grand River Raceway on Friday, Aug. 29.
He shot out from post five for Samuel Fillion and slid over onto the engine in a :27.1 first quarter and went unchallenged to the half in :56.3, when he bid adieu to his six foes. He built up a cushion of 4-1/2 lengths by three-quarters in 1:25.2 and wound down as he coasted to the finish, stopping the timer in 1:55.4. Valuable Miss (Austin Sorrie) made up ground late but had to settle for second, 2-3/4 lengths back of the winner. Malone (Nick Boyd) completed the ticket. The winner returned $2.30.
Royalty Beer added a 12th victory in 21 starts to his strong six-year-old campaign. The gelding won five Preferred-level events at The Raceway at the Western Fair District earlier this year and took his most recent win on the Quebec fair circuit. The son of Royalty For Life-Beer Mags is 30-for-94 lifetime with a bankroll of $408,597. He is trained by Jean-Francois Maguire of Carlisle, Ont., who co-owns him with Ecuries Maguire Inc. of Sainte-Marie, Que.
Allstar Goldi ($9.70) was another dominant winner in the first split, crossing the line in 1:56.2 with 2-1/4 lengths of separation over the rest. Daryl Thiessen drove the five-year-old Muscle Up The Goal-Stuck On Deagan mare for trainer Steve Watson, who shares ownership with Allstar Farms.
Global News ($15.90) took the second division by 2-1/2 lengths with a 1:56.3 effort for driver Garrett Rooney. The six-year-old daughter of Archangel-Going Global is owned and trained by Angie Carroll.
The series is for trotters that started for a purse of $6,000 or less in their previous start.
To view Friday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Grand River Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada)