Despite being sent off as the 14-1 longest shot on the board in the co-featured $11,000 Not Listed Preferred Trot at Sudbury Downs on Wednesday night, Bjs Fancy turned in a sizzling 1:58.3 mile to lower the track record for aged
trotting mares.
Bjs Fancy and trainer-driver Allan Hohner settled into sixth place after leaving from Post 7 in the eighth race. The six-year-old daughter of Angus Hall-Perfect Partner moved underway en route to the three-quarters mark and unleashed a :29.2 final frame to surge past her rivals in the stretch and prevail in 1:58.3. The time of the mile lowered the record for trotting mares held by Stormont O My by three-fifths of a second. Check Le Look (David Dowling) and favourite Sos Breezer (Gerry Belanger) rounded out the top three.
Bjs Fancy paid $31.60 to win. Hohner also shares ownership of the Sudbury speedster with Tamara Boisjoli and Valerie Blackmore of Mississauga, ON. The win was her seventh in 26 starts this season and lifted her earnings to $51,100.
In the co-featured Preferred Trot, Rush Rules got away fifth from Post 6 with driver Aaron Byron and watched as Bettin Molin (Justin Turcotte) and Stonebridge Prince (Mario Rivest) traded turns on the lead. As the field raced past the half, Rush Rules picked up cover from Thomson Seelster (Gerry Belanger) before moving three-deep and kicking home in :28 seconds for the 1:55.1 score by nearly three lengths. Deuces And Jacks (Paul MacLean) and Buckys Luck (Steeven Genois) came on to finish second and third.
The winner returned $5.10 as the 3-2 favourite. Mike Sinclair trains Rush Rules for owners Guy Beaulieu of Chelmsford, Rosemary Shelswell of Cookstown, ON and Robert Truman of Harbor Springs, Michigan. The gelded son of Scooter Scott-SF Cavalier has won six times in 13 starts during his six-year-old year for earnings of $39,790.
To view Wednesday's results, click here.