Driver Don Howlett and trainer Richard Rey enjoyed a successful weekend of racing as the Manitoba Great Western Fair Circuit action moved to Killarney on Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday's card featured Manitoba sired three-year-olds in a pair of Golden Boy and Silk Lace stakes events. Howlett celebrated a stakes double among five consecutive wins to close out the evening card. Rey was the trainer of four of those winners.
Howlett and Rey teamed up to win a $3,607 division of the Golden Boy with favourite Reys N A Commotion romping to a 2:02.1 two and three-quarter length victory over Another Great Pick while breaker One Kool Bud managed a third-place finish. Howlett co-owns the Armbro Trench-Thundrabird colt with Trevor and Michael Williams of Winnipeg. Reys N A Commotion is now four-for-six on the year with a previous win in the July 13 first leg of the Golden Boy at Glenboro.
Howlett also drove the Silk Lace winner Mb Swamp Donkey, who wired the field of fillies. She won the $7,187 division by four lengths over Alcars May Spree and favourite For The Roses. Howlett co-owns the Famous Family Man-Saguaro Pass miss, who broke her maiden with the 2:06 effort, with Michael Williams.
Howlett also scored Saturday wins with the Jodie Cullen-conditioned Youshouldseemenow and Rey trainees Royal Will and MacKenzie Seelster.
Charming Design went gate-to-wire to win the other $3,607 Golden Boy division on the card in 2:05.3. Owned, bred, trained and driven by Dean Rey, the favoured Charms Shark-Divine Design colt, who was also a winner in the previous leg, defeated Hands Down and Howlett by one length while P Ts Bad Boy finished third.
Sunday's card was highlighted by My Fine Ingot's 2:01.1 wire-to-wire victory over a 'good' surface in the featured $1,700 Gordon McNaughton Memorial for open pacers. The race was named in honour of the late McNaughton, a well known Manitoba horseman and friend of the winning trainer and owner, longtime horseman Ronald Turnbull. McNaughton passed away in January. Michel Rey drove the nine-year-old gelding to his 29th career win.
Sophomore colt Heartland Legend won the $1,700 Betty Grundy Memorial Pace for maidens in 2:07.2 after overcoming early interference and drawing off by 24 lengths. Kirk Rogers trains, drives and shares ownership of the Solid Ice-Shellys Song colt with Nicole Fontaine of Holland, MB.
Racing returns to Killarney next Saturday, August 10 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, August 11 at 1:30 p.m.
To view this weekend's harness racing results, click on the following links: Saturday Results / Sunday Results.