D Gs Camme paced the fastest mile ever at Northside Downs in winning the $6,000 J.A. Ferguson Memorial Invitational while Proven Desire set a track record for three-year-olds during an action-packed card of harness racing on Saturday in North Sydney, N.S.
D Gs Camme lowered Major Dundee's all-age track record by one-fifth of a second to 1:54.1 in the Invitational with Gilles Barrieau driving for trainer Jackie Matheson.
The five-year-old Blissfull Hall gelding took the lead from the inside post position and led the field through fractions of :27, :56 and 1:25 before closing out the record mile with a :29.1 final frame. All Turain finished three and three-quarter lengths behind in second and Junebugs Baby rounded out the top three finishers.
D Gs Camme, who won the Governor's Plate earlier this summer and entered the race off a fifth-place finish in Gold Cup & Saucer, now has five wins in nine seasonal starts. He is owned by Matheson's father Ron and fellow Charlottetown partners Quentin Bevan, Hal Bevan and Tom Clark.
Earlier on the card in Atlantic Sires Stakes action, Proven Desire shaved one-fifth of a second off the sophomore track record held by Allbentouttashape when he stopped the clock in 1:55 flat.
Trainer/driver Marc Campbell sent the Proven Lover gelding to the lead from post three in one of two $9,580 "A" divisions for the colts and geldings and carved out panels of :28.4, :57.2 and 1:26 before drawing away from the field to win by six and three-quarter lengths through a :29 final quarter. Proven Desire rebuffed a challenge from division leader and eventual runner-up Dixieland Band past the half, stopping his win streak at six. Bngs Express finished 10 lengths back in third.
Proven Desire now boasts eight wins in 11 starts this year for owners Blair Hansen and Meghan Macdonald of Charlottetown, and John Thomas of Dartmouth, N.S.
Pictonian Edge and Barrieau won the other colt division with a wire-to-wire effort in a career-best clocking of 1:57.4. Camco Titan edged by Woodmere Fullalife for second-place over four lengths behind. Kevin MacLean trains the Western Paradise gelding for owners Reginald MacPherson and David Mackenzie of Stratford, P.E.I. and Aaron Mackenzie of Winsloe, P.E.I.
Proven Desire now sits second in the Atlantic Sires Stakes divisional standings, trailing Dixieland Band's 28-point total by just one point. Bngs Express is third with 23 points while Pictionian Edge climbed to four-place with his first sires stakes win of the season after finishing third in each previous leg and now has 18 points.
A pair of $2,500 "B" divisions were won by I Am Able (Ameripan Gigolo) and Campbell in 1:59.4 and Kdmakeway (Largo), with Barrieau driving, in 2:00.1.
Three-year-old pacing fillies also faced off in their final leg of the Atlantic Sires Stakes, which was split into two $10,180 "A" divisions.
Woodmere Dancenart gave a boost to her point standings with back-to-back wins in the last two legs of the regular season. The Articulator filly fought off divisional leader Jann Downs to win on Saturday by a nose in 1:58.4 while Elm Grove Joanette came within a half-length finishing third. Clare MacDonald trains and drives Woodmere Dancenart for owners Morah Kerr of Greenfield, N.S. and Phonsie Maceachern of Port Hood, N.S.
Fresh off winning back-to-back heats in The Maritimer Stakes last weekend, Miss Oromocto took a new lifetime mark of 1:57.3 in the fastest filly division of the day for trainer Melvin Land and co-owner Sharon Burchill of Oromocto, N.B. The daughter of Driven To Win took the lead past the first quarter mark and kept favourite Three Pink Bows at bay before drawing off to a four and a quarter length victory with Mark Haig in the sulky. Dustylane Msvickie came on for second while Party Rockin finished back in third.
Miss Oromocto and Woodmere Dancenart's wins put them among the top five fillies in the point standings with 19 and 14 points, respectively. Jann Down remains the division leader with 23 points over the five legs, with Three Pink Bows and Woodmere Articblue tied for second-place with 20 points each.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.