A double for Colta Cola
Haras Colta Cola made it two wins in a
row in the Invite by triumphing over a field of eight last
Saturday.
Owned by Off Track Stable of Aldergrove,
trained by Paul Harrison and driven by Rick White, Colta
Cola went for the front early but settled for the two-hole
by the first quarter as Red Star Admiral took the lead.
They stayed that way until White
started a challenge late on the backstretch. Colta Cola had
the lead by half a length at the head of the stretch and
went on to win by 2¾ lengths.
The five-year-old son of Armbro
Operative covered the mile in 1:54.3, with a 28 second last
quarter. Red Star Justice was third.
A friendly Fraser Downs welcome tonight
to members of the Langley Chamber of Commerce who are on
hand for the racing of the Langley Pace.
More than 40 guests are in the
Homestretch Party Zone and David Esworthy, the chamber’s
president, and first vice president Patrick Yearwood, along
with several directors, will present a blanket to the
winning connections.
DANCING TIME: The
Dancewithavixen Pace will be held Saturday at the Downs.
The event is in honor of
Dancewithavixen, three-year-old filly of the year in 2003 at
Hastings Racecourse. The Vixen won several Stakes races
including the Ballerina, the FreeVacation, the Nanaimo and
the Liberation and more than $330,000 in earnings.
Her trainer, Tom Longstaff, and other
personalities from Hastings, will be on hand to present a
blanket.
Oh yes, they will also be able to watch
Dancewithavixen compete in the $60,000 added Orinda Handicap
at Golden Gate Fields in San Francisco the same day.
Dancewithavixen will tangle with six
other fillies or mares in the eighth race at about 4 p.m.
over a distance of six furlongs. She has the outside seven
post. Others in the field are Amber Hills, Pheiffer, Ema
Bovary, Viansa Ossidiana, Christmas Time and Fancee.
DAVIS’ DOZEN: A familiar look
returned to the driver/trainer derbies at the Downs as Bill
Davis dominated the results.
Davis, who leads the meet standings in
both professions, had 12 driving victories last week,
including six on Friday and the last three of the day on
Sunday.
Well back were Dave Hudon, Tim Brown
and Rick White with three each.
Davis was a winner’s enclosure visitor
on eight occasions (including five on Friday) to lead the
trainer stats. Darren Howald, handling the Brenda Arsenault
stable for the absent Andy Arsenault, had three wins as did
Wayne Isbister.
ADDING TO THE MIXED: The B.C.
Standardbred Breeders Society Mixed Sale will include some
imported broodmares up for bids at the Feb.17 event in the
Agriplex.
Society president Bill Pambrum headed
to the recent 2004 Garden State Super Sale in Hanover, Pa.
and purchased three broodmares which will be added to the
sale.
Joining the sale list are Blue Collar
Girl, a nine-year old by Goalie Jeff and in foal to Arturo;
Roxette Hanover, a 13-year-old by Kentucky Spur and in foal
to Dragon Again and Eicarls El Grande, a 13-year-old by
Direct Scooter and in foal to Island Fantasy.
The entry deadline of Jan. 30 still
applies.
Pambrun was active at the sale, picking
up a total of six prospects, including one share of stallion
Mr Lavec for $10,500US from Armstrong Brothers for Jerry
Renkers, owner of Lil Rude Ranch Stable.
True Blue Victory, a nine-year-old
Valley Victory-Decent Exposure broodmare in foal to Andover
Hall, took the highest bid of $140,000US at the Garden State
sale.
Part of the Robert Waxman dispersal,
True Blue Victory was bought by Valley High Stable out of
Freehold, NJ.
TOUGH DAY: A pair of B.C. breds
had a rough day while racing in the East -- at Woodbine and
the Meadowlands – last Saturday.
Rich Cam, a dominant force as a Stakes
winner at the Downs as a two-year-old, made his first start
since June 7 at Edmonton. Breaks were the undoing of the
four-year-old son of Camluck as he went off stride just
after the start and just before the three-quarter mark and
finished 10th, distanced in a race for a purse of
$23,000 at Woodbine. He is owned by the Sunbury Stables of
Aldergrove.
Red Star Minckler, who is the
fastest-ever B.C. bred with a 1:49.2 clocking, was eighth in
a $40,000 claimer at the Meadowlands. Minckler, an
eight-year-old who was bred by Dal Reo Farms of Pitt Meadows
and previously owned by Robert Murphy of White Rock, was
timed at 1:54.2.
GO WITH THE FLO: Saturday will
be Go With The Flo Day at Fraser Downs.
The day honors a long-time patron, Flo
Ayles, who passed away on Jan. 10. She was in her late 80s,
and well known by many because of her outgoing personality.
She was famous for wearing a Cloverdale Raceway sweater that
also read, "Go With the Flo."
Despite her age, Flo loved wagering a
few bucks and drinking beer with her friends in the
southeast corner of the Paddock lounge. Her visits were less
frequent in recent months because of her declining health,
and her last day at the track was on Boxing Day.
Friends have gathered today in the
Homestretch (Flo had always sat at a table in the
recently-removed Paddock Lounge) to celebrate her life.
She will be missed by all at Fraser
Downs.
McKAY No. 4: Lorrie McKay of
Delta is the fourth week’s winner of the California Dreamin
handicapping contest at the Downs.
McKay, with two winners, won the
mythical total of $614 to take the weekly title. Bud
Ketcheson of Vancouver, with three seconds, was next with
$579 and Ed McEvoy of Langley was third at $521.
The champ of the CDHC, of course, gets
to go – with a guest -- to the Santa Anita Derby on April 3,
courtesy of Fraser Downs.
McKay joins Kara Cromwell, Ken Compton
and Ron Smith as four of the 10 finalists who will battle
head-to-head in the CDHC on Saturday, March 6 in the
Homestretch Party Zone. The ultimate winner will be surfing
– the racing program – on Derby Day.
In the CDHC, which runs weekly until
Feb. 28, contestants are asked to handicap a series of races
from Santa Anita. The contest is based on six races, three
through eight, and on which entrants will handicap three.
For each of the three horses chosen, a mythical $20 win,
place, show bet is placed. At the end of each contest day,
scores will be tallied and the entrant with the highest
total will receive the weekly $250 prize – and be crowned a
finalist.
Entry ballots are available at the
Welcome Centre the morning of each contest day. They must be
returned before the scheduled post of the second race at
Santa Anita.
BRAD BEAMING: Brad Jackson of
Abbotsford thought one of his good friends had gone crazy
when he got a phone call last Saturday saying he (Brad) had
won a trip.
Moments later Jackson got another call
from Fraser Downs’ marketing guru Scott Sinclair, saying his
friend was not crazy, just excited.
Jackson won the draw for the trip for
two to Cancun, Mexico as the winner of the Margaritaville
contest.
Jackson was at the Downs for the first
time ever as part of a company Christmas party in December.
Friends – he obviously has good friends – convinced him to
fill out the entry form that came with ordering an umbrella
drink.
He did and he won and he will be off to
Cancun during the March Spring Break.
TIED AT POOL TOP: After a week’s
absence due to cancelled racing, Mary Blinkhorn and Lawrence
Olynick have moved into a tie for first in the KENO Harness
Pool.
After week three Blinkhorn and Olynick
each have 23 points, one ahead of week one leader Rob
Roxburgh. Blinkhorn had 12 points and Olynick 11 in the
third week.
Larry Gibson trails Roxburgh by one
while Floyd Whiteman, Edward Jackson and Mike Wagstaff each
have 20 points.
At 19 are Rob McElhinney, Bob Spiers,
Elaina Richard and William Lohner.
Just like a sports pool, the Harness
Pool has contestants pick a stable of horses and each
contestant earns points based on their performance (five for
win, three for place and one for show).
The contest is divided into two halves,
each half six weeks in length. In between each half there
will be a two-week break in which contestants will be asked
to pick a new stable from a new set of horses.
At the end of each half, the top three
contestants will win prize money. Contestants do not have
to play both halves of the contest.
The first half will run until Feb. 9
and the second half begins on Feb. 28 and concludes on April
4.
At the end of the contest, both halves
will be added and the top 40 players, including ties, will
share in the $10,000 prize pool. The top 40 players,
including ties, at the end of the contest will receive
prizes as follows: first $2500, second $1,500, third $1000,
fourth to 10th $250 and 11th to 40th $75. Prizes
will be awarded to the top three players in the first half
and second half as follows: first $250, second $150 and
third $100. Winners of first half top-three prizes are not
eligible for second half top-three prizes
MORE GREEN: Sandra Butterley of
White Rock was the winner last Friday of the 50/50 draw and
took home $457. The draw was conducted by the Greener
Pastures adoption program, which places former harness race
horses with compatible humans.
MAINMAN’S MOONSHOT: Last week we tried Gift Of Art
but there was no gift as he finished fifth. This time let’s
go with Dal Reo Jewel, a 10-1 morning line choice, in the 10th
race Saturday.
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