It's safe to say that driver Marc Campbell enjoyed his Saturday, Sept. 6 sojourn to Cape Breton. At least the afternoon.
And it's not often that the 'King of Island Racing' makes his way to Northside Downs for an afternoon card, but he definitely made his mark on the 14-dash card. With drives in 10 races, Campbell won six, sweeping the $16,080 Atlantic Sires Stakes 'A' divisions for two-year-old pacing fillies and winning four conditioned events.
Campbell's stakes wins started with Windemere Farms and Matt Burke's unbeaten rookie Windemere Skye ($2.10), a wire-to-wire winner in 1:57.2. The daughter of Somewhere Fancy - Howmac Missy was nearly seven lengths better than Going For Blood (Kenny Arsenault) with Saulsbrook Desi (Adam Merner) in the show spot.
Windemere Skye is now six-for-six for trainer Earl Watts, with $41,680 in earnings.
The stakes double came courtesy Reg MacPherson's Beach Jewels ($4.60), who made every call a winning one in a 1:57.4 trouncing of her four rivals. Woodmere Summer (Mark Pezzarello) was next best, more than 10 lengths back, with Uptown Tonight (Myles Heffernan Jr.) rounding out the triactor ticket.
Kevin MacLean trains Beach Jewels (Arthur Blue Chip - Preakness), now a two-time winner from seven starts with $11,717 in her bankroll.
Heffernan and Watts doubled in stakes action, collaborating with Starship Sundancer ($12.30) to capture the $6,000 AtSS 'B' division for breeder-owner Claude Poirier.
Campbell also found the winner's circle with Elm Grove Qwinn (1:59.1; $6.20) in the third race, Kountry Diamond (1:59.2; $4.20) in the fourth, Boys Turn (2:01; $4.80) in the seventh and Dont Ask Logan (1:58.2; $6.20) in the tenth to complete his Saturday six-pack. His haul from Northside brings his seasonal win total up to 151 from just 576 starts, bolstering a 0.417 UDRS that's tops in the nation among drivers with more than 500 starts and third best in that category among North American reinsmen.
Saturday's card at Northside also featured a single $16,190 division of the Phil Pinkney Memorial (Nova Scotia Stake) for two-year-old male pacers, with Darbies Fancy ($3.90) picking a good time to break his maiden. Driver Mark Pezzarello confidently asked the public choice to attack pacesetter Windemere Barkley (Zack Mullins) approaching the :58.4 half, cleared through the 1:29 third station, and pulled away for a two-length victory in 1:59.4. Smilin With Lou (Pooker McCallum) bested Tiziano (Clare MacDonald) for the place position, giving McCallum a training sweep of the top two spots.
Darbies Fancy (Somewhere Fancy - Darbies Destiny) hadn't found the winner's circle before Saturday, but the rookie pacing colt hasn't missed the top three (1-1-4) in six appearances for earnings of $17,453. He's owned by breeder Kevin Bailey, Rebecca MacKenzie and Sandra O'Donnell of Nova Scotia.
Hugh Heff ($2.50) continued his dominance in the track's top weekly class, delivering as expected in the $1,700 Winners Over Pace. Yielding briefly to stablemate Dontblvemejustwatch (Pezzarello), Hugh Heff made every call a winning one after clearing through the :28 opening quarter. Posting middle splits of :58.3 and 1:27.4, Hugh Heff paced home in :28.4 to trip the timer in 1:56.3 and best his aforementioned barn buddy by three lengths. Red Rum She Wrote (Martin Bates) closed out the top trio.
Owned by his driver along with Susan MacSween and Wayne Hardy of Nova Scotia, Hugh Heff sports a 11-2-2 summary from 15 starts this year, and a 43-14-6 summary in his 89-start career along with $116,790 in earnings. Dana Getto trains.
For the full results from Saturday's card of harness racing in Cape Breton, click the following link: Saturday Results - Northside Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)