Hugh Heff continues to place himself in the North American spotlight, winning once again on Saturday, Sept. 14 to top the standings for seasonal Standardbred victories.
Sent postward as the 3-5 choice in the $1,600 Winners Over Pace at Northside Downs, Hugh Heff and driver Randy Getto retreated to the back of the pack from their assigned post six starting spot and trailed the field of seven early. Keeperoftherealm (Ryan Campbell) yielded to Thunder Alley (Gerard Kennedy) through a :28 opener, with Getto starting the outer flow from this point of the mile.
Second choice Shir Gain (Rodney Gillis) provided cover to the advancing favourite, popping out of fourth to pressure the pacesetter. Shir Gain kept grinding away first up through middle fractions of :57.4 and 1:27.1, towing Hugh Heff closer to the leader. Heading around the final turn, Getto angled Hugh Heff into three-wide territory to take aim at Thunder Alley and Shir Gain as they tussled on top with just a neck separating them from the lead. Straightening for home, Hugh Heff showed the freshest legs and he easily sped past his weary rivals for the 1:58 decision. Keeperoftherealm found a seam inside Thunder Alley to rally for the deuce, 1-1/4 lengths back of the winner. Thunder Alley completed the triactor ticket.
Four-year-old Hugh Heff (Betterthancheddar - Danika Patrix) edged past six figures in earnings with the win on Saturday, now sporting a lifetime bankroll of $100,301 for trainer Dana Getto and Nova Scotia-based owners Randy Getto of New Waterford, Susan Macsween of River Ryan and Wayne Hardy of Sydney. Saturday's win was his 18th of the year, and that's the highest win total for a Standardbred in North America this season. Pacing mare Need Ur Opinion has 17 victories this year, with her next start slated for Sunday, Sept. 15 at Harrah's Philadelphia.
Hugh Heff paid $3.40 to win.
Saturday's card at Northside Downs also featured two $1,500 Celtic Financial Series eliminations. Randy Getto followed a similar path to the winner's circle with Carl Getto pupil State Of Mind ($7.00), getting up by a length in 2:02.4 to best pacesetter Brother John (Keigan Madden). Wine N Cheddar (Ardon Mofford) and Culpepper (Mark Pezzarello) finished third and fourth, respectively, to also advance to the final.
That foursome will have to contend with The Big Chase ($5.00), who won the fastest of the two Celtic Financial eliminations. Ryan Campbell engineered the 2:00.4 winning trip behind the Ian McKinnon trainee, who completed his wire-to-wire assignment more than two lengths better than Bobjohnski (Rodney Gillis), with Farmers Fieldstone (Greg Sparling) and Julian I Am (Jeremy Baker) next best.
The 2024 Celtic Financial Series is for non-winners of $2,000 in 2024 as of September 1, 2024, minimum 10 seasonal starts, with horses that have competed in the Winners Over not eligible. The $3,500 final and $2,000 consolation are slated for next Saturday, Sept. 21.
For the results from Saturday's card of harness racing in Cape Breton, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)