Tracked down late in all three of her starts last month, Outlaw Sharktastic lasted on the lead in this week's edition of the $12,500 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace on Friday, Aug. 9 at Century Downs for trainer/driver Nathan Sobey.
Outlaw Sharktastic was victorious in 1:54.2 with recent Preferred winners If Only Id Known (Phil Giesbrecht) and Daisy Corvette (Logan Gillis) finishing second and third, respectively.
Outlaw Sharktastic showed her usual early gate speed to establish the lead from post two through a :28.1 opening panel. After stealing a second-quarter breather to the half in :58, she picked up the pace to three-quarters in 1:25.4, prompted by the oncoming If Only Id Known. Outlaw Sharktastic used a :28.3 final frame to seal the deal, keeping clear of her rivals into the stretch and extending her lead to 2-3/4 lengths. Sent postward as the 2-1 favourite, she paid $6.50 to win.
Outlaw Sharktastic now sports a seasonal summary reading 4-3-4 from 15 starts with earnings topping $50,000 in her six-year-old campaign. The win was her 15th lifetime and bumped her career bankroll to $173,461. Sobey shares ownership of the Smart Shark-Outlaw Alleyesonme mare with Glenda Winkleman of Edmonton and Glenn Pinel of Calgary, Alta.
Brandon Campbell and Chris Lancaster each had a training triple during the afternoon's nine-race card.
Campbell finished the day with a slight lead (42-39) in the Century Downs trainer standings over Kelly Hoerdt after he drove his trainees Skys Little Spunk ($6.80) and Ima Fist Fight ($2.40) to victories in back-to-back races, with Yenoh Who ($3.80) later completing his hat trick.
Lancaster, who trains the Mares Preferred runner-up If Only Id Known, scored his first win of the day with his recent claim, Outlaw Spiced Rum ($5.60), driven by Dave Kelly. The six-year-old mare lowered her lifetime mark to 1:54.1 and matched Ontario-based male pacer Hugh Heff as the winningest Standardbred in Canada this year with her 14th success of the season. Lancaster later swept the late Daily Double with Heads Up Boys ($3.30) and and Outlawstormywether ($13.10), both driven by Giesbrecht.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Century Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)