Black Tie Bash equalled his career-best mark of 1:54 in the $10,000 Preferred Handicap Trot at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Thursday (Oct. 5) evening.
Bettors' choice Duke Lavictoire (Pascal Berube) launched from the outside in the field of five to grab the early lead, setting the tempo with a first panel in :27. Raising Rusty (Stephane Pouliot) was second on the outside, followed by Fashion Ken (Marie-Claude Auger) in third on the pylons and back to Black Tie Bash, who was also on the move on the outside in fourth for driver Robert Shepherd. Raising Rusty cleared the front and Black Tie Bash was left on the outside in second as the half clicked in :56.1.
Before the 1:24.2 three-quarters, Black Tie Bash had finally achieved real estate along the pylons and took over command of the feature trot. The Isabelle Darveau trainee gave himself a generous lead over his challengers and pulled away to a comfortable 1-3/4-length win in 1:54. Duke Lavictoire finished second and Raising Rusty rounded out the top three.
Shepherd owns the five-year-old Chapter Seven gelding, who moved his seasonal tally to 8-3-4 in 16 starts. He now owns 26 wins and $208,708 in career earnings. As the second choice on the board, Black Tie Bash paid $4 to win.
To view Thursday's harness racing results, click the following link: Thursday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway.