Freshmen pacing fillies were out in full force on Wednesday evening at Grande Prairie competing in five $14,836 Alberta Sires Stakes Alberta Starlet divisions
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Minettasluckycharm made a three-wide move at three-quarters and sprinted home for a 28-1 upset in the first split in 2:01.2 for driver John Chappell and trainer Mike Hennessy. Cigarchompin Mona (Gerry Hudon) finished a length and a half back in second and Taj R Us (J.F. Gagne) finished third. Owned by the S S G Stables of North Boston, New York, the Brandons Cowboy-Lucky X Ample filly won her career debut.
Driver Keith Clark teamed with trainer Lance Ward to win the second division with the As Promised-L Dees Laura miss The Grace Escape. Making her second lifetime start, The Grace Escape broke her maiden in 2:04.3 with a wire-to-wire romp. Spring Baby (Gary Clark) finished three-quarters of a length back in second and Mood Light (Mike Hennessy) rounded out the top three. Ward also shares ownership of the winning filly with Jodi Olson, Jaime Ward and Steven Ward of Ardrossan, Alta.
Lance Ward doubled up in the second split with Westwood Cowgirl, driven by Bill Tainsh, Jr. The daughter of Brandons Cowboy-Addie N front-stepped her way to track record equaling 2:01.1 score fending off Wrangler Raine (Rene Goulet), who finished a length back in second. Wish Hope N Pray (Rod Starkewski) finished third. Edward Dhoedt and Ernest Greenwood of St. Albert, Alta. own Westwood Cowgirl, who won for the first time in four starts. Double L Hot Trap originally set the 2:01.1 track record for two-year-old pacing fillies in July last year.
Keith Clark returned to the winner’s circle in the next event, this time with his own pupil Rossridge Fortune. The Brandons Cowboy-Whippet filly, owned by Clark, Robert Jones of Slave Lake and John Hind of Calgary, Alta., rolled to a one and a half length victory in 2:02.1 over Oatmobile Express (Connie Kolthammer) and Hilltop Harmony (John Chappell). She now sports one win and two seconds on her record in four starts.
Bahama Bay Bea gave Clark his third of four wins on the 10-race card after moving to the lead past the half and kicking away by three lengths for the 2:02.2 score. The daughter of Rescue Me-Bay Bea Sign won her first outing for trainer and part-owner Richard Schneider and Dick Schneider and David Halmosi of Edmonton, Alta. Westwood Krissy (Rod Hennessy) and MLF Boumystic (Bobby Clark) completed the triactor.
To view Wednesday's harness racing results, click here.