Trainer Rod Starkewski kicked off the Alberta Lonestar second leg of the Alberta Sires Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts with victories in the first two $18,767 divisions on Sunday at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino.
Starkewski's first winner was Classy Artist, who secured a two-hole trip and tracked 1-9 favourite Keep Coming through fractions of :29.4, 1:00.3 and 1:29.2 before sprinting by along the pylons down the stretch for the one length victory in a career-best clocking of 1:58.2. Keep Coming held off Outlaw Kismet for second.
Classy Artist was driven by Phil Giesbrecht and paid $26.20 for the 12-1 upset win. The son of Trust The Artist, who was also victorious in the Alberta Rising Star first leg, now has two wins in seven career starts. Starkewski shares ownership of the bay colt with breeder Tony Chan of Sherwood Park, Alberta.
Outlaw Gettinrdone was also a repeat winner in the Alberta Sires Stakes, winning the following division in wire-to-wire fashion for Starkewski and owners Walter Moroz of Edmonton and Willie Wychopen of St. Paul, Alberta.
Driven by Bill Tainsh Jr., the 2-5 favoured Blue Burner colt carved out panels of :29.3, 1:02 and 1:30 en route to the 1:58.1 triumph, with 30-1 shot Flamingbluestar following just over a length behind off a pocket trip and Outlaw Turn N Burn rallying from the backfield for third-place. The win was the third in seven starts for Outlaw Gettinrdone, who had also captured a division of the ASHA Colt Stakes.
The fastest Alberta Lonestar split was later won by Rod Hennessy's divisional track record holder Blue Star Jet, who turned in a 1:56.3 mile this time out.
Sent postward as the 4-5 favourite, the Blue Burner gelding kept eventual breaker Outlaw Goodnready parked through the first quarter in :27.3 and then cruised through middle splits of :59.1 and 1:27.2 before drawing off down the stretch for his third straight stakes victory. Royal Dragon cut the winner's margin to three lengths finishing second while Trustee was third.
Hennessy shares ownership of the bay gelding with Edmonton's Lorne Duffield. Blue Star Jet now has three wins and two seconds in five career starts. His streak includes a victory in the Alberta Rising Star and his 1:56 track record triumph in the ASHA Colt Stakes.
Starkewski's two Sires Stakes victories were part of a four-race win streak mid-card for the Lamont, Alberta horseman.
Century Downs' leading horseman Travis Cullen also put together a win streak during the Sunday program, opening the day with three in a row. Who Doesnt completed Cullen's triple, winning the $12,500 Open Pace. The 3-5 favourite eventually retook the lead from rival Ghost Pine in the stretch and then held off Get Thereovernight, who closed off the winner's cover, by half a length in 1:53.1. Sotally Tober came on for third ahead of Ghost Pine.
Cullen later matched Starkewski's Sunday win count, picking up one final victory in the finale.
The third and final preliminary leg of the Alberta Sires Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings will take place on Monday, October 12.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Century Downs.