Friday night at Cornerstone Raceway in Yorkton a season record was set, and another attempt to establish a record failed
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The season record came in the fourth race Open Pace on the card. With the elite horses at the track going for the $1,300 purse, Glenn LeDrew piloted Tajwon to top spot in a time of two-minutes flat, the best time of the year at the Yorkton Exhibition races.
Tajwon beat of Jeffrey Stone and Out Of Snorts, and Brad LeDrew with Barona Fivehundred.
It was the fourth win in six starts for Tajwon, and the seventh straight top-two finish for Out Of Snorts.
Glenn LeDrew said he wasn’t thinking a season best time going into the race. “I didn’t think that at the start, but I knew coming to the half we had some really big speed up front,” he said, “I was just trying to keep up.”
LeDrew said it took some effort to keep Tajwon “interested” early, but when the field fell back after the fast start, he was able to get up and challenge. “The last quarter has been his best quarter all summer long,” he said.
While he had to keep his interest early, LeDrew said Tajwon has been a steady competitor all year. “He’s been in every race this year,” he said. “He’s a trier. He like to race. He likes to finish. Those kind of horses are fun to drive, those that give you their best effort all the time.”
In the third race, Stagger Lee and driver Brian Gray were going for a sixth straight win, which would have set a track mark, but Stagger Lee had trouble at the start gate and finished last in the field.
Friday’s card also saw the finals for the Saskatchewan Horse Federation Summer Sizzle Series.
On the consolation side, Brad LeDrew took Get Out Of Town to the win the $2,000 event in 2:04 over O JS Boy (Shawn Worthen) and Minettastuppence (Brad Gray).
In the $3,000 Sizzle final, The Candy Man topped the eight-horse field in 2:03.2 with Tyler Redwood in the seat. Glenn LeDrew took second with Motorboatenbrando and Jeffrey Stone with Stonebridge Camlot.
Redwood said the win was important. “It is the biggest one [win] this year,” he said, adding it came with his best horse. “Of the bunch we have right now I’d say he’s the best of them. He’s a $2,000 claimer, but he’s the best of them,” he said.
Redwood said the race went more, or less, as he expected. “Everybody knew he’d go to the front. That’s the sort of horse that he is,” he said.
Redwood said for a while it looked like he might have it easy, but then Allan Brooking and Bigtime Jackpot challenged “My horse just kept fighting,” he said.
But by the three-quarter pole Redwood said they had faded just a bit, but he was able to find some finish, and came back down the stretch. “I don’t think we got it by much, but it won’t say that on the purse cheque.”
To view Friday's results, click here.
(A Trot Insider exclusive by Calvin Daniels)