Odds-on choice Life Is Better brushed for the front after a swift first quarter and coasted from there to post a track-record victory in taking the $5,000 Preferred 4 Pace at Leamington Raceway on Sunday afternoon (Aug. 7).
A set of $7,100 divisions of the Prospect Series for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings went postward Friday evening at Grand River Raceway, and it wasn’t a great night for the favourites.
Two Drinks Ago went to the front and didn’t look back in the first split for driver Tyler Moore and trainer Heather Pickett.
The son of Your Nemesis-Dynamic Date sliced out fractions of :29.2, 1:00.4 and 1:30.4 before scooting home in :29.3 to win by 3-1/4 lengths over race favourite Booked Solid in 2:00.2. Delicate Sound recovered from a late miscue to finish third.
Picket shares ownership on the homebred colt with Christopher Jewitt of De Pere, WI.
The trip was a tough one for Veyron in Monday’s co-featured $11,500 Preferred 2 for trotters, but that didn’t stop the gelding from battling his way into the winner’s circle for the tandem of driver J Harris and trainer Paul Cameron.
Veyron got away third in the five-horse affair while Zack To The Max powered to the lead and carved out early fractions of :29 and :59.3. Veyron started his first-over bid on the way to the half, and after making steady gains he showed a short lead while racing parked past the three-quarter pole in 1:28.3. Veyron then used a :30.1 closing frame to win by a length over Zack To The Max in 1:58.4. Race favourite Power And Grace was third.