When Outlawguns N Roses (Captive Audience) defeated her harness racing competition in the $56,900 Alberta Sires Stakes Diamond for three-year-old fillies on Saturday, May 25, at Century Downs, her connections must have felt as though they were in Paradise City.
Dave Kelly quickly removed her from the vehicle to gain early front-end control. The filly ran first-half fractions of 27.2 and 56.4 before Phil Giesbrecht's favourite, Over Ice, popped the pocket at the approaching three-quarters in 1:25.
After rounding the last circle, Outlawguns N Roses swiftly moved past her and went out down the stretch, winning by ten lengths in 1:52.4.
Mike Hennessy's Byby Baby Byby finished third, three lengths behind Over Ice, who emerged as the clear winner.
With her most recent victory, the winner, who has made three starts this season, decreased her lifetime best. At two years old, she was already a star, having placed in the ABSS Super Final and won the ASHA Filly Pace, ABSS Starlet, and Brad Gunn. In addition to co-owning her with Onoway resident Clauzette Byckal, Rodney Starkewski is her trainer.
A make-up elimination for the ABSS Marksman for three-year-old guys, scheduled for last week, was also included in the schedule. In 1:56, One Hot Minute (Westward Hoover, Brandon Campbell) easily won by five and a third of a length. Hennessy's Rememberthecustard finished alone in second place, four and a half lengths ahead of Logan Gillis's One More Rocky, the winner of the show. Jamie Gray's Yyc On The Horizon came in fourth.
With the win, One Hot Minute shattered his maiden. For Jodi Loftus and Timothy Kane, the homebred's owners, Campbell provides conditioning. In seven trials, the colt has earned $11,769 thus far.
Hennessy's Blue Star Mercury (Mystician) won the hotly disputed Preferred card. Once in the lead, the gelding led without opposition to the half, but No Collusion (Campbell) quickly closed the distance and the two horses went toe-to-toe into the turn.
At the top of the lane, Blue Star Mercury had the upper hand, but off the cover, Icy Blue Scooter (Nathan Sobey) and Mylittle Gingerman (Kelly Hoerdt) presented fresh obstacles. Despite Ice Blue Scooter's strong finish, Blue Star Mercury managed to cross the finish line in 1:53.2, winning by a narrow margin. In third place, right there with them, was Mylittle Gingerman.
The Western Canada Pacing Derby winner from the previous year, Blue Star Mercury, is currently three-for-nine this year. It was his first victory at the Preferred level on Saturday. The four-year-old receives training from Rodney Hennessy for Lorne Duffield and Jean Crochetiere. As of right now, the gelding has nine victories and $149,362 in earnings from 34 starts.
Racing at Century Downs is scheduled to resume on Friday, May 31.