The stable of Trevor Williams has dominated the harness racing meet at The Loop thus far, but on Saturday, Sept. 16, Williams shared the spotlight with the Mason clan.
The main event on the 10-dash Saturday card was the $15,579 Manitoba Great Western Stakes, with Williams' Handsome Dan sent off as the 1-4 favourite. Leaving from post six, Handsome Dan crossed over and cleared to the front heading into the first turn for driver Blake Piwniuk. When the colt crossed over, pocket-sitter Supa Fast made a break for Dean Rey and interfered with the rest of the field in the process.
Handsome Dan didn't have an anxious moment from there. After opening splits of : 29, :59.3 and 1:30.2, Handsome Dan sashayed home in :31 to trip the timer in 2:01.2, a new divisional track record. Braxtons Boy (Michel Rey) and Baylor Bobby (Clayton Braybrook) completed the top trio.
A homebred of Fred & Alice Gilbert of Brandon, Man., Handsome Dan (State Treasurer - Popcorn) picked up his fourth win of the season and sixth win lifetime. He's finished in the top three 12 times this year, posting a 4-5-3 summary from 16 attempts. The win pushed his career earnings to $76,808. He returned $2.60 to his $2 win supporters.
Williams posted a training triple on the card, winning subsequent races with HF Flower (Race 5; 2:00.1; $2.50) and Tuff As Buff (Race 8; 2:00.2; $6.80). At the conclusion of Saturday's card, Williams sports a seasonal summary of 39-11-10 from 76 starts, $114,403 in earnings and a UTRS of 0.637.
Sherri Mason matched the daily win total of Williams, winning three including the $5,000 Open Pace with Treasure Horizon. Paula Mason engineered the winning trip, a wire-to-wire win in 2:00.2. Favoured I Will Do It (Piwniuk) just missed, a quarter length back in second with Oriental Express (Richard Remillard) third, a half length back of the winner.
Treasure Horizon (Vertical Horizon - Expensive Return) is owned by her trainer Sherri and Darryl Mason of Killarney, Man. Winless in 11 starts last year, the six-year-old mare notched her third win of 2023 and ninth lifetime to lift her career earnings to $76,863.
Sherri Mason also visited the winner's circle with second race victor Fan C That (2:06.1; $6.90) and ninth race winner Aime Hanover (2:00.3; $9.60). However, the win that might have meant the most came in the seventh race. B Special certainly was special for the Mason family, with Darryl & Sherri's son Aaron Mason scoring his first training win. Aaron also owns B Special, who stopped the clock in 2:01.3 with Darryl at the controls.
To view the results from Saturday's action in Winnipeg, click the following link: Saturday Results - The Loop.