Serge Masse’s first night competing at Fraser Downs since the opening of the 2009-2010 season was a productive one resulting in a training hat trick and driving grand slam. Along with David McKellar, who also enjoyed a training triple, both Surrey-based horsemen dominated the second half of Friday’s 12-race card
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Trainer/driver Masse scored back-to-back wins starting in the sixth race. Nazko Island front-stepped his way to an eight and three-quarter length score in a 1:54.2 life’s best clocking and Smart Chance survived a first-over journey to win by five lengths in 1:55.3. Red Star Sailor also won his ninth race assignment for Masse by a half-length in a career-best 1:53.
Masse also drove the Don Monkman, Jr.-trained Keystone Vanyla to a five length score in 1:57 earlier in the fourth race.
McKellar’s winning ways didn’t start until the eighth race with Reserve Forces, who was a two and a quarter length victor in 1:52.3. River Card prevailed by three and three-quarter lengths in wire-to-wire fashion and took a new mark of 1:55 in the 10th race while Artistically also used front-end tactics to get the job done in the following race. The four and a quarter length winner stopped the clock in 1:52.1.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click here.