The season’s fastest mile to date at Inverness Raceway was put up by Sea Laird in Sunday’s $2,000 feature, going gate-to-wire in 1:57.2 for driver-trainer Zach Mullins who co-owns the 10-year-old Custard The Dragon gelding with Doug Lowthers.
-by Bill Dunphy
It was a busy afternoon at Inverness Raceway on Sunday in a seven-dash card that was reduced to six following an accident that caused the sixth race to be ruled “no contest.”
In that race, leader Believe It Sea It (Rodney Gillis) broke stride and hooked wheels with the advancing Kraken Seelster (Ardon Mofford), causing a logjam behind them. Mofford was unseated in the collision and Kraken Seelster ran loose, resulting in the officials calling a no contest.
Kraken Seelster eventually ran out of steam after making several trips around the track and quietly returned to the paddock. Mofford did manage to walk off the track but was later taken to hospital for evaluation.
The $2,000 winners-over feature followed, with Sea Laird ruling his subjects in a gate-to-wire open-length victory.
Driven by Zach Mullins, the 10-year-old leveraged his inside positioning to take command entering the first turn and produced early panels of :30.2 and 1:00.3. He dispatched the first-up Windemere Best Man (Danny Gillis) with a burst to three-quarters in 1:29.3 and closed out the mile with a :27.4 kicker to win by 3-1/4 lengths in 1:57.2. Whats Up Doc (Redmond Doucet) was second over Jims Big Thrill (Andrew MacLean, catch driving for Mofford.)
A recent import to Atlantic Canada, Sea Laird is two-for-three at Inverness for Mullins, who trains the gelding and co-owns him with Doug Lowthers.
The son of Custard The Dragon-Devil Likes It Hot is now 38-for-216 lifetime and has earned $303,361.
And prior to race six, three generations of Port Hood MacLeans had a big reason to celebrate.
Ethan MacLean scored his first lifetime training win as Stay Pumped won a hotly contested fifth race.
After engaging in a four-horse battle royale for the front early, Ethan’s dad Travis MacLean slid Stay Pumped back to third until the dust cleared, then sent her first-over heading towards the stands. The mare lost ground turning for the backstretch but recovered to fly past the leader McLand (Mofford) on the homeward bend and win by 3-1/4 lengths in 1:59.1.
Owned by Ethan’s grandfather Gussie MacLean, Stay Pumped was making her third start for Ethan, who has trained the five-year-old daughter of Stay Hungry-Pump My Ride since Michael Gillis, of Windsor, Ont., brought her to Nova Scotia following her April 27 start. MacLean, who kicked off his training career on March 31, now has a record of 8-1-2-1.
But wait, there’s more!
Drink Up Mouchacho opened the card with Redmond Doucet driving the three-year-old Shadow Play gelding to a maiden mark of 2:00.4. Owned by Johnny (Snag) MacDonald, the colt was winless in 10 starts as a two-year-old and the first win came in his third try this season after coming up second in two starts against Captain Tate.
Speaking of the Captain, the three-year-old colt was moved up a class on Sunday but wasn’t fazed as Walter Walker drove to a new mark of 2:01 to win the second race. Walker, with four straight driving wins to start the season (three with Captain Tate) also does the training for owner James MacInnis.
Another three-year-old, Galway Bay, also raced to a new mark on Sunday. Owner-trainer-driver Monica Sutherland came back from down four lengths at the start to pace the next two stations parked outside and still with enough gas in the tank to overtake Jgsjumanji (Danny Gillis) by a neck at the finish for a time of 2:00.3.
The one race left to report was the third, where Doucet logged a driving double with Dirty Bobby, a six-year-old Pang Shui gelding he co-owns with Andy Stewart. Trained by Lennan MacIsaac, Dirty Bobby went three-wide on the stretch to beat five-year-old mare Lory Marchandise (Ambrose Gillis) at the wire in 2:02.2.
Lory Marchandise’s season debut helped key a 1-6-All triactor that paid $624.90.
Racing resumes this Sunday, Father’s Day, at 1 p.m. Treat dad to a fun day at the track that will include free sundaes and a visit by the Six Little Farmers and some of their animals.