Pacing mare Gias Surreal and trotter Aussie Lover turned in a pair of gritty efforts in Friday night's co-featured Preferreds to prevail in a pair of close calls at Grand River Raceway.
Parked from the start after leaving from the outside post seven in the $11,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred 2 Pace, Gias Surreal and driver Tyler Moore eventually wore down the front-striding Major League N and held off late-closer Voelz Delight in a blanket finish for the 1:53.4 victory by a neck. Voelz Delight was last at the half and closed the quickest of all to nab the runner-up honours while Major League N settled for third after setting fractions of :26.1, :54.1 and 1:23.2. A runner-up in this class last week during her Grand River debut, the Woodbine Mohawk Park invader Gias Surreal paid $8.30 to win as the 7-2 second choice. Returning champ and 6-5 favourite In The Mood staged a three-wide rally off the winner's cover through the final quarter-mile and finished less than a length behind in fourth over Darkrshadeofpale N in the passing lane.
Don Lindsey trains Gias Surreal, who picked up her first win of the season to go along with nine other top three finishes and $70,740 in earnings from 22 starts this season for owners James Graham, Edward Peron and Lee Winters. A 32-time career winner, the seven-year-old So Surreal mare now boasts a bankroll totalling $927,815.
In the matching Preferred 2 for trotters, Aussie Lover (pictured above) collared the favoured mare, Power And Grace, at the wire to win by a neck in 1:58 flat with Jason Ryan aboard. Powering to command from the outside post in the field of a half-dozen, 4-5 bettors' choice Power And Grace maintained a two-length lead through fractions of :27.2, :58.2 and 1:27.4. Meanwhile, Aussie Lover got away fifth and was eight lengths off the leading lady early on before going first-over at the half and picking off rivals one by one then taking aim at Power And Grace in the stretch. Aussie Lover paid $8.80 to win as the 3-1 second choice. Pocket-pursuer Andy Over shot through the passing lane to finish a half-length back in third.
Aussie Lover earned his seventh win of the campaign in 28 starts and bumped his bankroll to $56,450. Gord Remmen trains and shares ownership of the six-year-old Angus Hall gelding with 8113564 Canada Ltd. A career winner of 24 races, Aussie Lover has earned $227,195 lifetime.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Grand River Raceway.