Driver Garry MacDonald worked out a perfect pocket trip with Ontario invader Formal Affair to take the $7,000 Willard Kitchen Memorial Pace on Friday night at Woodstock Raceway in Woodstock, NB
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Formal Affair followed Awestreos (John MacDonald) through fractions of :27.4, :56.4 and 1:25.3 before pulling the pocket in the stretch and kicking home in :28.3 to stop the clock in 1:54.2. Awestreos finished two lengths back in second while P H Bestman (Todd Trites) rallied four-wide from last at the three-quarters mark to grab third.
Formal Affair returned $15.00 for the win as the 6-1 fourth choice in the field of six. MacDonald also trains the five-year-old gelded son of Real Desire-Little Black Dress for new owners Ronnie and Dale Rennie of Elmsdale, PE. He has won four times in 17 starts this year earning $35,175.
Grace And Harv battled with Joseph Michael (Stephen Trites) and got his nose to the wire first to win the $2,500 Kelti Burnett Memorial Pace in 1:57.3 for Gilles Barrieau, who scored six driving wins on the 10-race program. Barrieau also trains the six-year-old daughter of Dexter Nukes-Armbro Brio for owners Wayne MacRae of Fall River, NS and Howmac Farms Ltd. of North Wiltshire, PE. Grace And Harv has won five of his last six starts this year.
Barrieau also won with Olivias Beau in the first race for trainer Don Sweezey, Last Stretch in the third race for Robert Hume, F F Stena in the fourth for Neal Moase, Hurricane Island in the fifth for Stefan DeCourcey, and Star Collector in the eighth for Ron Chamberlain. The six-bagger increased the resident of Saint John, NB’s 2010 win total to 84 and pushed his earnings to $119,193.
To view Friday’s results, click here.