Off the co-favourite at even money, Exotic Dragon swept to the lead up the backside and kept her speed rolling to post a 1:52.1 victory in winning the second of two $10,000 eliminations for the Penny Bath Memorial on Sunday (Feb. 13) at Fraser Downs.
Century Mach motored for the front from the pylon post, clicking the first quarter in :26.2 with Exotic Dragon settling into second. She slowed the tempo to a :56 half but couldn’t quicken enough up the backstretch when Exotic Dragon blitzed for the lead from the pocket. By three-quarters in 1:24, Exotic Dragon grabbed the lead and cruised around the final turn and through the lane to pass the beam 2-1/4 lengths better than In High Cotton, who tracked cover to take second. Graceful Horizon finished third, another six lengths behind, with Century Mach fading to fourth.
A four-year-old mare by Custard The Dragon, Exotic Dragon won her 12th race from 22 starts, lifting her earnings to $169,202. Gordon Abbott trains the $4.10 winner for owner Robert T. Jones while Dave Kelly sat in the sulky.
Uptown Hanover delivered as the 1-9 choice in the other elimination of the Bath, winning in 1:54.
Her stablemate Crush Me led the field to the quarter in :28.3 while driver Brandon Campbell settled the other Kelly Hoerdt pupil in third. The field stayed single file to a :58.2 half and Crush Me then accelerated into the backstretch while Uptown Hanover angled off the pegs to three-quarters in 1:26. Steadily, Uptown Hanover gained on Crush Me through the turn. Into the stretch, she edged by to win by a length at the line with Custard Smoothie finishing third and Hang On Sloopy taking fourth.
Co-owned by Hoerdt with K. Carole Dunbar, Uptown Hanover won her eighth race from 31 starts, lifting her earnings to $138,999. The four-year-old daughter of Somebeachsomewhere paid $2.20 to win.
Following the Bath eliminations, Armycaptin Hanover sprung off a pocket trip to take the $10,000 Open Pace in 1:51.4.
Tiempo Hanover, co-favoured at 7-5 with stablemate Sunshine Boy, set an uncontested pace of :27.1, :56.2 and 1:23.3 all while Armycaptin Hanover sat in second. Off the corner, driver Phil Giesbrecht pulled the Kelly Hoerdt trainee from the pocket to dig into Tiempo Hanover, eventually getting the better of the pacesetter and putting a head in front at the line. Sunshine Boy finished third and Waitin Ona River took fourth.
A six-year-old gelding by Captaintreacherous, Armycaptin Hanover won his 22nd race from 81 starts and has total lifetime earnings of $142,571. Hoerdt co-owns the $6.90 winner with Blair Corbeil.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Fraser Downs.