Shark Week, making his first pari-mutuel start at The Track On 2 since 2022, asserted his authority in the $16,000 Lacombe Cup for male pacers on Monday, Sept. 7.
The fastest horse in Western Canada history started swiftly from post one, yielded to last-out Preferred winner Outlaw Game On (Brandon Campbell) going onto the backstretch, then pulled back to command past a :26.3 quarter. Mike Hennessy rated the gelding to a :56.2 half, then loosened the lines going into the final turn as Shark Week picked up speed to three-quarters in 1:24.4 with Needabankloan (Phil Giesbrecht) arriving first-up. Needabankloan backed down in the lane, and the biggest threat came at the pylons from Outlaw Game On, but Shark Week battled vigourously to the half-length victory in 1:52.4. Needabankloan finished third.
Shark Week has returned to form with five wins in his last seven starts after a slow start to the year. He is now two-for-two lifetime at The Track On 2, with his 2022 start a victory in an Open; he also made his two-year-old qualifying debut at the Lacombe, Alta. oval in 2020. The eight-year-old son of Vertical Horizon-Shark Gone Bad is six-for-20 this year and 71-for-127 lifetime with $616,385 in earnings for trainer Rod Hennessy, who shares ownership with Lorne Duffield of Edmonton, Alta. He paid $3.10 to win.
To view Monday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Monday Results - The Track On 2.
(Standardbred Canada)