Front-end speed held up for both Part Shark and Long Ago in Monday’s co-featured Preferred events at a snowy Western Fair Raceway
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After leaving from an outside post position last week in the $13,500 Preferred Pace, Park Shark journeyed first over to finish third for teamster Doug McNair and trainer Wayne Preszcator, but this week a little post relief worked out in his favour. The four-year-old Four Starzzz Shark gelding beat out his five rivals in a dash for the lead from the rail and carved out stations of :29, :58.3 and 1:27.4 without facing any serious challenges. Using a :28.1 final kicker, Part Shark stopped the clock in 1:56 to pick up his second victory in five 2010 outings. Button Up (Mike Horner) finished three lengths behind the 6-5 favourite off a pocket trip while Kourtney Luck (Brad Forward) came in third.
Preszcator shares ownership of Part Shark with Barbara and James Lehman of Waterloo and Robert Patterson of Caledon, Ont. The bay now sports seven wins on his resume and over $121,000 in earnings.
Long Ago, who has been a consistent contender in the matching Preferred Trot for most of the year, turned in another winning performance on Monday evening for regular reinsman Dan Clemmer and trainer John Holding. The five-year-old Duke Of York gelding left from Post 3 and led from start to finish through panels of :29.2, 1:00.3 and 1:30.1 with Connected Yankee (Brad Forward) applying first over pressure but eventually fading. Long Ago, the 2-1 second choice, held off a late push from the second over Nobananas (Mike Whelan) to score by half a length in 2:00.4. Longshot Big Changes (Greg Dustin) closed well for third.
Long Ago has finished first or second in six of seven starts at the Preferred level this year good for nearly $32,000 is earnings. Lifetime, the bay gelding has scored 11 times banking over $137,000 for Holding and co-owner Bryan Montgomery on Fergus, Ont.
Post 1 starters Logan M and Pretty Kadabra also led the way to victory lane in the other Preferred events held during the 12-race card.
Fan favourite Logan M and driver Brad Forward looped Bigmizndrstnding (Mike Sumner) at the first quarter and led the rest of the way to score in 1:58.3 by three-quarters of a length. Cuban Seelster (Alfred Carroll), the 58-1 longshot, rallied from second over for the runner-up spot while Bigmizndrstnding finished third.
The winning five-year-old son of Presidential Ball is now two-for-two in 2010 with 18 career wins and earnings totaling $112,013 for trainer Casie Coleman and owner Kenneth Fraser of Ayr, Ont.
With Stuart Sowerby in the bike, Pretty Kadabra pulled the pocket en route to the first quarter and proved to be resilient when challenged by favourite Pride (Trevor Henry) past the third quarter mark in the $10,000 Preferred 2 Trot. The 2-1 second choice beat out her male rivals in 2:00.3 for trainer Sandra Houghton and owner Aristi Varsakis of Grimsby, Ont. Pride finished a length and a quarter behind while the pocket-sitting Frenchfrysngravy (Bruce Richardson) completed the top three.
The win was the five-year-old Kadabra mare’s first of the year in six starts and 15th lifetime giving her over $87,000 in earnings on her record.
To view Monday's results, click here.