Minettas Nightstar, an Alberta Super Final champion last season, picked up the first win of her aged career off a pocket trip in the featured $8,500 Fillies & Mares Open Pace on Friday evening at Northlands Park
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With Bobby Clark in the bike, ASHA Award nominee Minettas Nightstar settled into the two-hole from Post 2 as insider Barona Josie (Bill Tainsh Jr.) fired to command and rolled the field in program order past fractions of :27.3, :57.2, and 1:25.1 before tiring in the stretch. Minettas Nightstar manoeuvred out of the pocket to take over command and held off the popular River Lass (Kelly Hoerdt), who came first up from third at the third quarter mark. Minettas Nightstar prevailed by a neck in a career-best 1:54.2. Shoplifter Hanover (Jamie Gray) finished one and three-quarter lengths behind in third off a second over tow.
Minettas Nightstar paid $35.10 for the upset. The Brandons Cowboy-Lucky X Ample mare is trained by two-time O'Brien Award winner of Horsemanship Keith Clark, who also shares ownership with Calgary's John Hind. She earned her first win in four 2012 outings and 15th lifetime while pushing her bankroll over the $200,000 mark.
In other action, trainer-driver Gerry Hudon scored a grand slam on the 10-race program thanks in part to wins in the first three races aboard the two-time winning sophomore filly Hollywood Breeze ($6.10), six-year-old mare Bridgette Hanover ($8.30), and the maiden-breaking sophomore colt Kg Rowan ($16.70). Hudon also scored a victory aboard his new stable starter, Drumheller ($8), later in the eighth. The five-year-old gelding, claimed for $10,000 last time out, matched his lifetime mark of 1:55.1 with a front-end effort.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Northlands Park.