Three-year-old Alberta foaled pacers faced off in eliminations for next weekend's Moore's Mile and Shirley McClellan Breeders Stakes on Saturday afternoon (June 17) at Century Downs.
The colts and geldings competed in a pair of $12,500 eliminations for the Moore's Mile while the field of fillies for the McClellan was determined by three $8,300 eliminations.
Undefeated in his sophmore season for trainer/driver Brandon Campbell, Virtual Horizon (pictured above) dominated the first set of colts vying for a spot in the Moore's Mile.
The 1-5 favourite led the field through fractions of :28, :58.3 and 1:26.3 en route to the 1:55 victory under late urging from Campbell as the first-up Handsome Dan (Phil Giesbrecht) offered up a final turn challenge but drifted wide and finished 1-1/2 lengths behind. Tin Can Timmy (Logan Gillis) followed in third while Over The Horizon (Nathan Sobey) and YRU So Siruis (David Kelly) completed the top five.
Virtual Horizon returned just $2.70 to win. The Vertical Horizon-Saucy B colt, who most recently swept the Alberta Sires Stakes Marksman leg, is now six-for-six this year for local owners Jodi Loftus, George Rogers and Raymond Henry.
General Custard also delivered on his pari-mutuel promise in the second Moore's Mile elimination, staging a big rally from the backfield for trainer/driver David Kelly.
The 3-5 favourite swept three-wide from sixth around stalled cover down the backstretch while Catfish Jack (Thomas Miller) and Opulent Dragon (Nathan Sobey) traded turns on the front end through splits of :27.4, :57.4 and 1:26.1. General Custard caught the top two that had gained some separation on the rest of the field and then drew clear down the lane to win by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:56.1. Catfish Jack edged out Opulent Dragon for place with Lumber Baron (Mike Hennessy) and The Dickens (John Chappell) finishing 14 lengths in arrears as the fourth and fifth-place finishers.
General Custard, a gelded son of Custard the Dragon and Grinandchaseit, earned his second (consecutive) win from six starts this year for Pick 6 Stable of Strathmore, Alta. He paid $3.30 to win.
The popular Scott McGinn trainee G Ts Skyla was the fastest of the filly elimination winners with a career-best 1:55 effort in rein to Logan Gillis.
G Ts Skyla was parked through the first turn, but once she cleared the quick-leaving Nonversation (Mike Hennessy) at the :28 quarter mark, the 3-5 favourite never looked back, setting middle splits of :57.1 and 1:26.1 and opening up four lengths turning for home. She coasted tot he wire a 2-1/4-length winner as Cora Cora Cora (Jamie Gray) and Handcuffed (Nathan Sobey) closed off cover to finish second and third, respectively. Nonversation was fourth.
G Ts Skyla paid $3.50 to win. The lightly raced daughter of Mystician out of G TS Selene is two-for-three this year for her trainer, who co-owns with Stony Plain, Alta. breeders Gerald, Marjorie and Terry McGinn.
Festiveus was another front-end winner in the elimination round, taking a new mark of 1:56.1 with Mike Hennessy in the sulky for trainer Nathan Sobey.
Hennessy put Festiveus on the point and carved out panels of :28.1, :58.3 and 1:26.4 with the favoured Beep Bop A Lula (David Kelly) unable to stay on stride down the backside out of third. Up by six lengths turning for home, Festiveus held off the hard-charging Caviar N Crackers (Phil Giesbrecht) by half a length at the end of the mile. Promise Kept (Brandon Campbell) picked up third while Dear John Im Gone (Thomas Miller) was fourth.
Festiveus paid $7.70 to win as the 5-2 third choice. Unraced as a two-year-old, the Vertical Horizon-Shark Fest filly is now three-for-eight for breeder Keith Clark of Foothills, Alta. and partners Robert Jones of Stony Plain and Doris McDougall of Cochrane, Alta.
Trainer Brinsley Brooking-Lutz's My Little Chloe pulled off a 6-1 upset in the other elimination with a slick steer from Thomas Miller.
My Little Chloe gapped the gate from the outside post six and trailed the field most of the mile before weaving through traffic in the stretch to win along the pylons in 1:58.2. Favourite Amped Up Annie (Mike Hennessy) led the way through splits of :27.1, :57.2 and 1:26.3 before fading in the lane. Super Cozey (David Kelly) closed off the cover of Waitinonawoman (Nathan Sobey) and edged out that rival for the runner-up honours 1-3/4 lengths behind the $14.90 upset winner. Cenalta Token (Logan Gillis) was fourth.
Lutz shares ownership of My Little Chloe, a daughter of Lambretta out of Andrea Cole, with breeder Cory Manning of Belmont, Man., and partner Harvey Jaeger of Airdrie, Alta. The win was the filly's second in six starts during her debut season.
Both $90,000 (guaranteed) finals will be contested next Saturday, June 24 at Century Downs.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.