Three-year-old pacing colt Red Dirt Boomer and filly Woodmere Oleksiak continued their respective win streaks in the Donnie and George Turner Memorial Stakes featured on Friday night (September 20) at Truro Raceway.
Trained and driven by Gilles Barrieau, Red Dirt Boomer turned in a 1:55.4 career-best effort to notch his fifth successive stakes triumph. The Malicious-Independent Gal colt led all the way in his $7,242 division, clocking fractions of :27.3, :58.1 and 1:27.2 before expanding his lead to two lengths with a :28.2 closing panel. Red Dirt Rocknroll followed in second and Howmac Magic finished third after advancing first-up.
Red Dirt Boomer went seven-for-13 and banked $45,993 as a freshman and has already equalled that record and eclipsed that earnings mark in his sophomore year.
With David Dowling in the sulky, Woodmere Oleksiak extended her win streak to seven for trainer Earl Watts. The Articulator-Oh Pretty Leigh filly carved out panels of :28.3, :59 and 1:28.1 en route to victory in a lifetime-best 1:56 flat. She won her $7,367 filly division by 2-3/4 lengths over Woodmere Tango and Gentle Warrior.
After going winless in a dozen starts as a two-year-old, Woodmere Oleksiak is nine-for-16 this year and has boosted her overall bankroll to $56,214 for the ownership group of Hollis Newson, Debbie Denney, Ric McNutt and Windemere Farms.
Arc Light turned in a matching career-best 1:56 mile in the other filly division, tracking cover and then defeating Howmac Sabrina and After The Lovin for trainer/driver Marc Campbell and Grayland Farm. The Camystic-Red Star Ashlee filly notched her seventh this year from 15 starts.
Fresh off a victory in the PEI Colt Stakes last weekend, owner/breeder Kevin Harvey's Purple Poet won the other Turner colt division in 1:58 flat. Trained and driven by Kenny Arsenault, the Stonebridge Terror-Real Girlie colt rebuffed a challenge from J Ks Boy then held off favourite Notorious by a neck. Saulsbrook Lassie checked in third.
Prior to the wagering program, a pair of non-betting Nova Scotia Stakes match races for trotters were contested.
Racing for a purse of $3,701 in the two-year-old trot contest, Mabou Ridge established a 2:00 track record defeating Tequila Tuesday by four lengths. Clare MacDonald trains and drives the Armbro Barrister-R Rocket Rachel gelding, who eclipsed Waiting On A Woman's 2:01.3 record, for owner Arnold Rankin of Antigonish, N.S. Mabou Ridge is just three-quarters of a length shy of a perfect seven-race record.
Grayland Farm's Dusty Lane Titan sprinted past Oceanview Hal to win the three-year-old trot event in 2:01.2 by 8-3/4 lengths. The Tad The Stud-Starinthesky gelding, now four-for-11 on the year, is trained and driven by Marc Campbell.
In regular racing action, Well Did and trainer/driver Paul Langille won this week's $1,675 Winners Over Pace in 1:55.4 for Hubtown Horse Owners Club.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Truro Raceway.