Following a pair of solid qualifying miles, Gord Irwin's millionaire pacer Bigtime Ball returned to racing action after a one-year hiatus and proved he's back on top of his game with a 1:50.1 triumph in the $50,000 Open Pace on Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack
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The 2009 Older Pacing Horse of the Year, who is being pointed towards the Breeders Crown this fall, followed race leader Aracache Hanover (Sylvain Filion) through fractions of :26.4, :55.1 and 1:23.3 before unleashing a :26.2 final kicker to get for the victory by a nose. Favourite Art Professor (Jody Jamieson) rounded out the top three, finishing one and a half lengths behind.
Bigtime Ball paid $10.20 to win as the 4-1 third choice in the field. The seven-year-old gelded son of Presidential Ball and Keystone Trinidad earned his 36th career win while pushing his bankroll past the $1.4 million mark.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.