Driver Brandon Campbell swept both $17,500 divisions of the Bev Sears Sales Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies on Saturday afternoon at Alberta Downs with Honor Roll and Gts Jerilyn upsetting the heavy favourites.
Honor Roll drafted behind favourite Blue Star Beauty down the stretch before surging past that filly to earn the first stakes trophy of her career in the opening division.
Leaving from the outside post six, Prairie Illusion (Bobby Clark) worked her way to command over the three inside fillies during a :27.1 opening panel. However, post one starter Blue Star Beauty (Bill Tainsh Jr.) quickly retook the lead and cruised to the half-mile marker in :56.3 and then three-quarters in 1:25.2.
Meanwhile, down the backstretch driver Brandon Campbell sent Honor Roll first over from fifth and ducked the filly in behind the leader as they raced down the homestretch in a two-horse breakaway. As the top two fillies sprinted to the wire, Honor Roll wore down Blue Star Beauty to prevail by three-quarters of a length in a flashy 1:53.3. Down Home Stylish and Kelly Hoerdt finished over 12 lengths back in third.
Honor Roll's career-best clocking equalled the second fastest mile posted ever over the one-mile Lacombe oval for sophomore pacing fillies and was four-fifths of a second off Phone Terror's divisional track record.
Honor Roll paid $9.70 as the 7-2 third choice.
The Mach Three-Book Smart filly is trained by Sanford Campbell for Calgary owners William Andrew and George Rogers. She now sports record reading 5-2-2 in 16 seasonal starts with nearly $30,000 earned in purses.
Credit Card Junkie, the second division's favourite, was picked off late in the mile by the late-closers with Gts Jerilyn getting up on the outside to prevail.
Driver Keith Clark sent Credit Card Junkie to the lead from the outside post seven and clocked the opening quarter in :28.1. The popular filly then backed down the pace during the second panel and reached the midway point in :59.3.
Outlaw Blue Danube and Deborah McLeod pulled the pocket during the third panel and applied heavy pressure to the leader as they passed the third quarter marker in 1:29. She edged by the Credit Card Junkie in the stretch, but Gts Jerilyn, who got away fifth in the early going before moving second over, came flying home off cover to score in 1:56.3, shaving one-fifth of a second off her lifetime mark. Outlaw Blue Danube settled for second three-quarters of a length behind while Popcorn and Jamie Gray came on for third over Credit Card Junkie.
Gts Jerilyn paid $16.60 to win as the 7-1 fourth choice.
The As Promised-G Ts Kaitlyn filly is owned and bred by trainer Gerald, Terry and Marjorie McGinn of Stony Plain, Alta. Gts Jerilyn, an Alberta Princess elimination winner earlier this summer, is now three-for-eight in her debut season with $17,630 banking in purses.
Campbell's stakes wins book-ended a natural hat trick for the reinsman. He also won with Loneridge Shannon for trainer Vernon Sifert. Jamie Gray scored a training-driving triple own his own during the 12-race card with Sealedwithapromise and Blue Star Classic going back-to-back and Flak Jacket scoring later on. Joe Ratchford trainee Outlaw I See Red gave Gray the driving grand slam in the following race.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Alberta Downs.