Kevin Bailey stepped in to drive Thunder Alley in place of the injured John Kennedy at Northside Downs on Saturday, July 6. Thunder Alley, looking to end a three-race losing streak, was guided by Bailey to his sixth win of the season in the Winners-Over race.
Thunder Alley sat in the pocket position through the early fractions of :29.4 and 1:01.3 before Bailey made his move in the third turn, sending Thunder Alley to the front by the three-quarter mark in 1:31.3. The duo then pulled away in the stretch to win by five-and-a-half lengths in 2:01.3 on the wet track. Daddys Eyes and Kiss Me Im Irish finished second and third, respectively.
The victory marked Thunder Alley's 30th career win in 149 starts. Trained by Heather Hawkins, the eight-year-old gelding is owned by Terri Morrison, Irwin Claener, Kirk Macrae, and Angus Maceachern. Kennedy was sidelined earlier in the card after an accident, but all drivers and horses involved were reported to be uninjured.
In another race on the card, Jeremy Baker secured his first driving win with Behavenmyself in 2:05.3. The mare, trained by Bailey, notched her first win of the season with Baker at the helm. Baker, a newcomer to the racing scene from Blackrock, N.S., has also found success as a trainer with 14 wins in 56 starts over the past two years.
Bailey ended the day as the top driver with three wins out of nine completed races. Northside Downs will resume its regular schedule on Saturday, July 13.