Kinda Like Her impressed the crowd in attendance at Exhibition Park Raceway on Saturday (Sept. 2) with a rock-solid effort to capture the final of The Maritimer for three-year-old pacing fillies.
One of two elimination winners earlier on the card, Kinda Like Her sat the pocket early as the other elim winner Southfield Sue (Gillies Barrieau) forged through fractions of :28.2 and :59.2. Kinda Like Her popped the pocket heading down the backstretch and pressured the pacesetter through the third quarter of 1:29.4.
Kinda Like Her cleared before the final turn but then faced a fresh threat in the form of Tobins Secret (Todd Trites). Those two fillies matched strides around the final turn and looked to be on even ground heading for home. Kinda Like Her dug deeper down the stretch and rallied for the 2:00.1 victory. Tobins Secret stayed for second with Woodmere Finesse (Danny Romo) nabbing show honours after an overland trip.
Sean Dooley trains Kinda Like Her (Ameripan Gigolo - Allamerican Napa) for the Dooley Boys Racing Stable of Halifax, N.S. The sophomore filly doubled her win output of the year with her two wins on the day, boosting her seasonal bankroll over the $32,000 mark.
To set up for the final, two eliminations were contested as races eight and nine on the 13-race card.
The first $6,738 Maritimer division was reduced to a field of four with the scratch of Bonzai Beach, meaning all fillies would advance to the final. Southfield Sue (Gilles Barrieau) sat the pocket behind pacesetter Tobins Secret (Earl Smith) through panels of :29.2, 1:00, and 1:29.2 before popping pocket in deep stretch to get up boom, just like that in the final stride for the 2:00.4 victory. Favoured Woodmere Finesse (Danny Romo) rallied well from a mid-race break to finish third over Woodmere Dreams.
Vance Cameron trains Southfield Sue (Proven Lover - Southfield Sarah) and co-owns with Southfield Farms of PEI. The win was just her second from 16 seasonal starts.
Kinda Like Her was a confident winner in the second Maritimer elimination. Driver Kenny Arsenault positioned her on the front with Oceanview Beemer (Earl Smith) behind her in second. That forced Articulate Barb (Gary Chappell) to forge on to the front through the opening quarter. Arsenault yielded then quickly pulled pocket to reclaim the front. That lead was short-lived as Smith right-lined Oceanview Beemer from third and cleared to the lead as the field passed the halfway mark in 1:01.1.
Arsenault bided his time in the pocket through the 1:30.1 third station then pulled heading into the final turn to challenge. Under a patient steer, Kinda Like Her eventually powered past Oceanview Beemer to hit the wire a quarter-length to the good in 2:01.
Owned by the Dooley Boys Racing Stable of Halifax, N.S. and trained by Sean Dooley, Kinda Like Her (Ameripan Gigolo - Allamerican Napa) sports a 3-5-2 record from 13 seasonal starts heading into the final.
Following the second elimination, HRNB officials drew the field for the $8,984 Maritimer Final.
1. Southfield Sue (Gilles Barrieau)
2. Kinda Like Her (Ken Arsenault)
3. Tobins Secret (Todd Trites)
4. Oceanview Beemer (Earl Smith)
5. Articulate Barb (Gary Chappell)
6. Woodmere Finesse (Danny Romo)
7. Woodmere Dreams (Mark Bradley)
8. Gold Record (Pooker McCallum)
The undercard for The Maritimer featured four $5,500 divisions of the Williamson Memorial Stake, with two divisions for freshman pacing fillies and a pair for rookie pacing colts.
Woodmere Chella prevailed in a three-across finish in the first Williamson division for pacing fillies. Gilles Barrieau sat pocket behind favoured R Es Shabla (Mike McGuigan) through the mile and tipped to the passing lane in the stretch to best Chocolate Terror (Paul Langille) and Windemereinalright (Todd Trites) in a lifetime best 2:01.3.
Barrieau trains Woodmere Chella (Articulator - Oh Pretty Leigh), a $18,000 Atlantic Classic purchase for owner Daniel Ross of Belfast, PEI. In six starts, she's hit the board in each with a 2-2-2 record and more than $14,500 in purses earned.
Saulsbrook Coral came into her Williamson division 0-for6 and yet to hit the board but she looked like a world beater with a strong, on-the-engine score. Todd Trites sent her to the front and confidently cut all fractions with splits of :29.3, 1:00.4, 1:30.4 before pulling away to score in 2:01.2. Private Di (Arsenault) tested the leader but could only manage the runner-up spot while Fiftyshadesofgraci (Barrieau) held show.
Earl Watts trains Saulsbrook Coral (Western Paradise - Shark Reef) for Daniel Ross of PEI, who plunked down $16,500 for the filly at last year's NSPE Yearling Sale.
The first colt division was a two-horse race on paper after the scratch of morning line choice Sock It Away. The public backed Oceanview Magnum and Tangled Mind, and those two colts didn't disappoint their supporters. Todd Trites sent favoured Oceanview Magnum to the front and carved out fractions of :29.1, :59.2 and 1:28.2 with Tangled Mind (Barrieau) right behind in the pocket, more than ten lengths ahead of the rest of the pack. Barrieau angled out Tangled Mind around the far turn for a stretch drive bid but Oceanview Magnum was large and in charge, winning by a length in 1:59. Flash In The Pang (Pooker McCallum) finished the triactor.
The time of the mile was a track record-tying effort for a two-year-old pacing gelding, matching the 10-year old mark of Ride The Lightning set in 2007.
A $13,200 Atlantic Classic purchase of Harris Johnston, Roger Burns, Claude Poirier and John Howatt of PEI and Quebec, Oceanview Magnum now boasts a 3-3-0 record from six starts and more than $16,000 in earnings for trainer Earl Watts and his connections.
Rockin Party hadn't finished out of the top three as a freshman, but heading into his Williamson division he was also winless. That record changed after a strong 2:01.3 score. Red Dirt Rebel (Gary Chappell) did all the dirty work, carving out fractions of :29, :59.2 and 1:30.3 before pocket sitter Rockin Party right-lined heading from home and closed best to trip the timer in 2:01.3. String Busters (McCallum) closed well for finish second with Red Dirt Rebel staying for third.
Romo trains Rockin Party (American Gigolo - Fox Valley Shadow) for Ian Banks, Susan Karrel and Charles McDonald of N.S. and PEI. The rookie now sports a 1-3-2 record from six starts and nearly $12,000 in earnings.
The finale on the card featured some of the best local open class pacers in the $4,500 Milton Downey Memorial Pace.
Junebugs Baby (Myles Heffernan) chased the gate out of post four and cleared to the front ahead of his four rivals and would never be fronted after that. The 2017 Walter Dale Memorial winner whacked out panels of :28.4, :59.3 and 1:29 before opening up around the final turn to seal the deal with a 1:59 victory. His Boy Elroy (Pooker McCallum) closed well for second after a first-over bid for the final half, and Fall Bliss (Dr. Mitch Downey) completed the triactor.
Heffernan also trains eight-year-old Junebugs Baby (Western Paradise - Carols June Bug) for Jackie Heffernan of Glace Bay, N.S. The 51-time lifetime winner now sports more than $117,000 in lifetime earnings.
Video replays from the Saturday card at EPR are available below. The stakes races can be found at the following times of the video:
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Race 3 - first Williamson for pacing fillies - 5:00
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Race 6 - first Williamson for pacing colts - 12:19
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Race 8 - first Maritimer elimination - 17:05
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Race 9 - second Maritimer elimination - 19:29
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Race 10 - second Williamson for pacing fillies - 21:51
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Race 11 - second Williamson for pacing colts - 24:15
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Race 12 - Maritimer Final - 26:40
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Race 12 - Milton Downey Memorial Pace - 29:05
For the results from Saturday's card, click the following link: Saturday Results - Exhibition Park.