A locked-and-loaded Miss Dutton fired fastest in her $21,000 division of the Dawn & Ted Bremner Memorial Stakes on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Connell Park Raceway in Woodstock, N.B., setting a new track record for three-year-old pacing fillies in the process.
Adam Merner engineered the winning score behind the daughter of Rollwithitharry - Woodmere Dancenart, sending her out from post two and asking her rivals to catch her if they could. After putting up fractions of :28, :57.2 and 1:25.4, Miss Dutton dashed home in :29.3 to best her competition for the 1:55.2 track record tally. She didn't just beat the record, she smoked the old mark of 1:57.2 held by Dusty Lane Dixie.
Fern Hill Indigo (Brodie MacPhee) finished three parts of a length in arrears, just ahead of First Filly Chip (Paul Langille).
A five-time winner trained by Kuri White with more than $28,000 in earnings, Miss Dutton ($7.50; pictured above) is owned by Shoulda Been Onabeach Stable of Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Tobins Chester ($3.60) picked up his 10th win of the year in the $21,000 Bremner Memorial division for three-year-old male pacers, stopping the clock in 1:55.
Driver Jason Hughes settled the 4/5 choice away in fourth as second choice Jackies Boy (Heffernan) earned the lead through a contested :27.2 opener. Jackies Boy geared down that tempo to a :56.4 half and 1:25.3 third station, but had to deal with an advancing Tobins Chester around the final turn. Those two paced as a tandem turning for home but Tobins Chester had the most late kick through the stretch and hit the wire nearly two lengths better than his archrival. Merigo Magic (Merner) just missed the place photo and settled for show.
Ashley Gamester trains $139,877 winner Tobins Chester, a three-year-old gelded son of Shanghai Phil - Putnam Mackenzie with a 16-3-1 record from 22 starts. Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I. is the owner.
Like A King ($3.60) delivered as the 4/5 choice in the $15,000 New Brunswick Breeders Stake second leg for two-year-old pacing colts, rallying for an off-the-pace score in a career best 1:58.2.
Here On Earth (Merner) fronted a field of four through fractions of :28.2 and :58.3 before 4/5 choice Like A King and driver Paul Langille started an overland journey. Picking up the cover of Moonfall (MacPhee) at the 1:27.2 third station, Ling A King closed in :30.1 to hold off DJ Mustang (Barrieau) by a length at the wire. Moonfall completed the top trio.
A homebred owned by Jennifer Ritchie of Kingston, N.B., Like A King is trained by Donald Milligan. The son of Arthur Blue Chip - Twin B Cuzisaidso now sports a 4-1-1 summary from eight starts with $33,536 stashed away.
At the other end of the spectrum, Summer Vibes ($60.40) showed an affinity for fall fireworks with 29-1 upset in the $15,000 New Brunswick Breeders Stake second leg for two-year-old pacing fillies.
Wayne Watson enjoyed a pocket ride with Summer Vibes, albeit a loose pocket for a good portion as Pandemonic (Myles Heffernan) flew through uncontested fractions of :29.2, :59.3 and 1:29.1. Watson popped pocket passing that third station to challenge, with favoured My Happy Place (Barrieau) second over turning for home. The fillies fanned three abreast down the stretch, with Summer Vibes a nose the best while earning a new mark of 2:00. My Happy Place just missed to finished second, with Pandemonic a half-length back in third.
A daughter of Lazarus N - Ideal Tan, Summer Vibes is trained and owned by Catherine Davies of Wakefield, N.B. That's her second score in four starts, with earnings at $8,616 in her young career.
Saturday's card at Connell Park also featured older pacers in the $8,000 Rod Goguen Memorial, with Tony Too Tall delivering at tall odds in a track record-equalling effort.
A seven-horse field went postward with five on the gate and two trailers. One of those trailers was post seven starter Tony Too Tall, who driver Myles Heffernan asked to follow out 2023 Goguen Memorial champ Batterup Hanover (Langille) from his innermost starting spot. And as Batterup Hanover carved out fractions of :27.1, :56.4 and 1:24.4, Tony Too Tall loomed large from that pocket position. Once overland challenger Rollwithhottytoddy (Barrieau) started to fade around the far turn, Heffernan had the real estate he needed to vacate the pocket and set sights on the pacesetter. Batterup Hanover whiffed on his attempt to hold off Tony Too Tall, home a winner by nearly two lengths in 1:54 to equal the older pacing gelding record of Chewy Gross. Batterup Hanover and Rollwithhotttoddy completed the triactor.
Trevor Hicken trains Tony Too Tall, an eight-year-old gelded son of Big Bad John - Lismaraslady, for Perry Burke of Grosse-Ile, Que. With his 33rd career win, Tony Too Tall lifted his career bankroll to $447,173 while returning a generous $38.80 to his $2 win supporters.
Racing returns to Connell Park for the 2024 season finale next Saturday, Oct. 5.
For the full results from Saturday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Results - Connell Park Raceway.
(Standardbred Canada)