Ontario import Jewels Dragon ventured west into Dave McKellar’s barn and scored a facile win in the $10,000 Open Pace on opening night at Fraser Downs on Wednesday night (Sept. 7).
Driver Dave Kelly fired Jewels Dragon from post five for the lead and cleared Mach Steady past a :26.2 first quarter before slowing the tempo to a :56 half. Armycaptin Hanover, racing third, pulled first over up the backside and blitzed the leader by three-quarters in 1:25. Jewels Dragon repelled the challenge and widened his advantage spinning for home, though Armycaptin Hanover rallied upon straightening for home yet settled for second by 1-1/4 lengths. Mach Steady gave chase in third with Buddys Hope fourth and Redneck Jim rounding the field.
A six-year-old gelding by Custard The Dragon, Jewels Dragon won his 24th race from 101 starts and has now earned $246,045. He competes for owner Paul Sanders and paid $3.20 to win.
Racing returns to Fraser Downs on Thursday night (Sept. 8) with first-race post time at 7 p.m. (PDT). Racing continues on a Wednesday-Thursday rotation through Oct. 13, after which the track goes dark for a week before moving to a Sunday-Monday schedule from Oct. 23 through Dec. 12. First-race post time for Sunday cards is 1 p.m. while Monday racing begins at 7 p.m.
To view Wednesday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Wednesday Results – Fraser Downs.