Cigar Party played the role of the spoiler while Comes Home First and Pass The Port were chalky winners in their respective divisions of the Alberta Lonestar for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings Sunday at Alberta Downs.
Cigar Party entered his $19,067 assignment with a 1-for-4 record, but he went home 2-for-5 thanks to his 1:56.4 score for trainer/driver Keith Clark. The son of Clintons Cigar-Beyond Paradise shot to the front from Post 8 and successfully chopped out panels of :28.4, :59 and 1:28.3 en route to the 1:56.4 tally. It was 3-1/2 lengths back to runner-up Son Of Anarchy, with My Boss taking home the show dough.
Sent off at odds of 14-1, Cigar Party bumped his bankroll to $10,933 with the win. Clark shares ownership on the homebred with Allan Neurauter of High River and Robert Jones of Slave Lake, AB.
Comes Home First, who was sent off as the 1-5 choice in his $19,367 tilt, also used front-stepping tactics to secure a win. Jim Marino hustled the Lance Ward trainee to the top from Post 4 and he kept on trucking through fractions of :27.2, :58.1 and 1:26.2 before using a :28.1 closing kick to win by 9-1/2 lengths in a career-best clocking of 1:54.3. Shyloh Changerluck was next best, with Presidential Pass rounding out the top three finishers.
The son of Brandons Cowboy-Cinderella Cam now boasts a 4-1-1 record from six trips to the track, and his cash stash now stands at $29,824. J J J Stables of Aldergrove, BC own the rookie, who was a $20,000 purchase from last year’s ASHA Yearling Sale.
Pass The Port felt the need for speed in the final division, and driver Paul Davies wasn’t about to argue with him. Davies rolled the gelding to the lead and they sliced out panels of :28, :59.3 and 1:28.3 before sprinting home in :28.2 to win in 1:57. Runner-up Jack Of Diamonds came up a half-length short, with Sonic Spark another 2-1/2 lengths back in third.
Sent off at odds of 1-2, the son of Freedoms Pass-Newport Beauty improved his record to 3-1-1 from five tries while pushing his earnings to $18,744 for owner/breeder/trainer Samuel Johnson of Sherwood Park, AB.
KG Art Dreamer extended his winning streak to five-in-a-row and he lowered his own track record in the process in the $8,500 Open Pace for trainer/driver Brandon Campbell. The former claimer threw down fractions of :26.4, :55.4 and 1:23.1 before using a :27.4 kicker to seal the deal in 1:51. It was 6-1/4 lengths back to runner-up Flak Jacket, with Cowboy Caper finishing third. The performance shaved two-fifths of a second off his former track record of 1:51.2.
Claimed for $9,000 on July 29 by Tim Kane of St. Albert and Jim MacPhail of Calgary, AB, KG Art Dreamer won for the seventh time this season and for the 24th time in his career. He’s banked close to $30,000 this year and more than $112,000 to date.
To view results for Sunday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Sunday Results – Alberta Downs.