Three-year-old pacing fillies Go To The Windows and T Squared, both daughters of sire Allamerican Cobalt, swept a pair of $7,500 first leg divisions of the Mary Murphy Breeders Stakes early Friday night at Fraser Downs.
Dennis Johnston and his homebred filly Go To The Windows kicked off the card with a wire-to-wire score in a career-best clocking of 1:58.3.
Leaving from post four, 4-5 favourite Go To The Windows crossed over to command after the starting gate sped away and she led her five foes in single-file alignment through fractions of :29, 1:00.4 and 1:30.1. Second choice Philly Collins (Mark Abbott) pulled the pocket at the top of the stretch, but came up a half-length short at the wire and had to settle for second-place honours. Coastal Treasure (Rick White) followed six and a quarter lengths behind in third.
Go To The Windows returned $3.90 to win. She started her career with two victories in the B.C. Breeders Stakes and banked $18,100 in seven starts as a freshman. Friday's win was her first of the year in six races and lifted her annual income to $15,423.
T Squared matched Go To The Windows' winning time in the following race after trainer, breeder and co-owner Rick White sent her up the passing lane for the stakes triumph.
T Squared established the early lead from post two with 3-2 favourite Run And Tell (Kevin Anderson) and 109-1 longshot Pureform Empress (Travis Tracey) also charging off the gate to her outside. Run And Tell emerged between the early leavers to take over command while Pureform Empress remained parked out through a :29.2 first quarter and :59.3 half. As Run And Tell raced on to three-quarters in 1:29.1, Jennys Big Book (Rod Therres) rallied three-wide around the tiring Pureform Empress. However, the real threat was the pocket-sitting T Squared, who out-sprinted Run And Tell for the one length victory. Jennys Big Book edged out Ladychaterlyslover (Scott Knight) nearly four lengths behind in a photo for show.
T Squared paid $5 to win as the 3-2 second choice. The filly, who is also owned by June Kauffman, won her only start as a two-year-old and is now three-for-seven in her sophomore season. This year's British Columbia Sires Stakes runner-up boasts a career bankroll of $35,167 after collecting the lion's share of Friday's purse.
This week's $10,500 Open Pace was won by the J J J Stables' Thunder Noise as he wore down pacesetter Cantbeatacheetah in a 1:52.3 career-best mile.
Trained and driven by Bill Davis, the five-year-old Island Fantasy gelding got away fourth from the outside post seven and advanced first over down the backstretch en route to the three-quarter length victory. Cantbeatacheetah (Jim Marino) led through panels of :27, :56 and 1:23.4 before being overtaken in the stretch, but held off Rock Allstar (Scott Knight) for in a photo finish for second. Thunder Noise paid $9 to win as the 7-2 second choice. Gotta Have Nukes (Rick White), the 8-5 favourite, finished fourth off a pocket trip.
The victory was Thunder Noise's fourth in 15 starts this year and 10th lifetime, pushing his career bankroll to $88,110.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Fraser Downs.