Trainer Darryl Laver's homebred trotting mare Petro Angel closed out the 2024 harness racing meet at Hiawatha Horse Park with a victory in the co-featured $6,000 Preferred 3 Handicap Trot on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Leaving from the inside post in rein to Scott Wray, Petro Angel protected her pocket position behind Classy Guy (Daryl Thiessen) with outside leaver Spun From Magic (Lorne House) taking a brief tuck behind until company came as Scene A Magician (Nick Steward) moved underway from the backfield. Petro Angel rode the pocket through fractions clocked in :27.3, :58.4 and 1:28.2 with rivals stacking three-wide to her outside as they turned for home, but the mare shot through in the drive to the wire to prevail by half a length in 1:58.3. Classy Guy held on for second with Scene A Magician third and the late-closing favourite, Wrap And A Hooey (Andy Moore), making it a four-across finish.
Petro Angel paid $9.70 to win as the 7-2 third choice in the 10th and final race of the meet.
The six-year-old daughter of Archangel out of Sassy Dreamer matched her career-high win count from last season and has put together a record reading 7-8-5 from 33 starts this year while competing at nine different tracks across Ontario. She now has 23 career wins and more than $145,000 in purse earnings.
The $6,000 Preferred 3 Pace also ended in a close call, with Cheddar Bay ($8.40) and trainer/driver Peter Core prevailing by a neck in 1:53.4. After a contested :26.4 opening quarter, Donald and Heather McGregor's homebred Betterthancheddar-Mystical Seelster gelding landed in the pocket for mid-splits of :56.4 and 1:25.1 then defeated the duelling co-favourites, Punchesinbunches (Garrett Rooney) and It Takes Two (Lorne House), getting up in the final strides to earn his second straight win at the Sarnia, Ont. oval.
Hiawatha's 2024 leading driver Garrett Rooney picked up one more victory on the closing card to bring his final win count to 57. His nearest competitors were Andy Moore (30 wins) and Scott Wray (20 wins), each ending the meet with a driving triple.
While Rooney secured the driving title long ago, the race for top training honours went right to the wire and ended in a dead heat. With one of her six Saturday starters making it to the winner's circle, Cassidy Schneider tied with Lindsey Kerr atop the leaderboard as each horsewoman ended the meet with 20 wins. Laver's victory in the last race was the 13th for his stable at the Hiawatha meet and moved him into a tie for third-place with Cameron McQueen.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Hiawatha Horse Park.
(Standardbred Canada)