Defending champion All Turain ($7.60) fought off favourite D Gs Camme to win this year's $7,000 Jennie & Joe Chippin Memorial Pace and close out an action-packed Saturday card of harness racing at Fredericton Raceway.
Driver Mike Stevenson and All Turain left from post three in the featured finale and were on top through fractions of :27.2, :57.2 and 1:25.3 while D Gs Camme and Gilles Barrieau applied heavy pressure and edged out in front. However, All Turain battled back down the stretch to prevail in 1:55.2 by a quarter-length. Joseph Michael (Todd Trites) edged out Modern Xhibit (Dale Spence) for third and Schooner (Clare MacDonald) completed the field.
Wade Sorrie trains the five-year-old Tell All gelding, who is now six-for-nine on the year, for owners Lee Hicken of Charlottetown, P.E.I. and Perry Burke of Grosse-Ile, Que. All Turain earned his 22nd career win while making his 70th start and bumped his bankroll to $84,917.
Almost one year ago today, All Turain won the 2013 Chippen Memorial in a 1:55 romp with Brodie MacPhee aboard for Hicken to begin a 10-race win streak that was halted in June.
The only mare in the field, Ramblinglily ($23.50) pulled off an upset victory in the $2,500 Albert Goodine Memorial Junior Invitational Pace, closing from the backfield to prevail over the popular pacesetter Touch Of Lightning by three-quarters of a length in 1:58.1. Allan Jones trains, drives and co-owns the homebred four-year-old daughter of Articulator with Normand Leger of Shediac, N.B. Dance Hanover, the 2013 Goodine Memorial champion, finished nearly five lengths behind in third.
Saturday's card also featured the Bill Quigg Memorial Stakes -- two $6,850 divisions for the sophomore pacing colts and a pair for the fillies -- which resulted in more close finishes.
Sent postward as the 8-1 longest shots on the board, Pictonian Storm ($19.10) and trainer/driver Mike Stevenson prevailed over the favoured front-stepper Settlement Request by a head in the first $6,850 Bill Quigg Memorial colt division, stopping the clock in a lifetime-best 1:59.3. The Western Paradise gelding is owned by Daniel Ross of Belfast, P.E.I. Touch Of Thunder finished nearly five lengths behind in third.
Heavy favourite Arties Magic ($2.10) and driver Todd Trites held off the pocket-pulling Mr Vaive in the second colt division for a 1:58.2 victory by a head. Tobins Fusion was the best of the rest, finishing over four lengths behind in third. Arties Magic, a son of Articulator, is trained by Earl Watts and owned by Windemere Farms of North Wiltshire, P.E.I. and Clive Balderston of Moncton, N.B.
Trites, Watts and Windemere Farms picked up another Quigg victory as second choice Lovineveryminute ($4.40) rolled wire-to-wire in the first filly division and held off the Stevenson-trained Pictonian Sareta by a head in 1:58.4 with favourite Elm Grove Inarush just a quarter-length behind in third. The daughter of Western Paradise is also co-owned by breeder River Valley Management of Quispamsis, N.B. and Lana Murphy of Quispamsis, N.B.
In the final filly division, Bettim Jenny ($31.50) defeated the popular Stevenson trainee Sail Through by a quarter-length in 1:58.4 for a 14-1 surprise with Sea Anna Win three-quarters of a length back in third. Jeff Lilley drives, trains and co-owns the Largo filly with Danny Purcell of Newport, N.S.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Fredericton Raceway.