67-1 shock in $80,500 Pure Ivory final

Longest-shot-on-the-board Tactical Planner (Tactical Landing) exploded in the last eighth of the mile to win the $80,500 Pure Ivory harness racing final for two-year-old pacing fillies on Thursday (Aug. 5) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Driver Tyler Jones backed the filly to eighth from the start and was content to sit through first-half fractions of :27.1 and :57.1. He fed her third-over cover as the field swung towards three-quarters in 1:27.2. 

Tactical Planner drifted into open air at the top of the stretch and advanced steadily until exploding in the final meters to pass leader Silly Me Hanover (Bob McClure) and a throng of rivals for the victory in 1:57.2.

Warrawee Yes (Louis-Philippe Roy) also stormed home and took place on the wire. Silly Me Hanover finished third. The winner returned $136.10 and headed an exactor paying $5,413.10.

TACTICAL PLANNER REPLAY

It was a maiden-breaking victory for Tactical Planner, who made her first two starts in the preliminary rounds of the Millard Farms. She finished sixth in her leg-one debut and broke stride at the start in the second leg. Jones co-owns the filly with breeder Andrea Lea Racing Stables. R. Dustin Jones trains her.

Earlier on the card, heavy favourite Lukes Bar (Bar Hopping) captured the $90,800 Millard Farms final for two-year-old trotting males. The gelding tucked into fourth to the quarter in :28.4 before launching to the lead, making it there for James MacDonald just past the half in :58.4. He kicked away after hitting three-quarters in 1:27.2 and was wrapped up by the eighth pole in a 1:56.1 victory.

Ghostly Casper (Sylvain Filion) and and Southwind Coors (Mike Saftic) rallied from seventh and eighth at the half to finish second and third, respectively.

LUKES BAR REPLAY

The public made Lukes Bar 1/5 after his dominant second-leg win. The $55,000 Harrisburg purchase is now two-for-three lifetime with $59,250 in earnings. Dave Menary trains the gelding and co-owns him via his Menary Racing of Rockton with Anthony Timmins of Birmingham (England).

Later on the card, Bankers Luck (Hes Watching) pushed to the front from post 10 and remained on top to the finish in 1:52 for Doug McNair in the Whenuwishuponastar second leg for rookie pacing fillies. Leg-one winner Sylvia Hanover (McClure) nabbed Treacherous Penny (MacDonald) for second at the finish.

BANKERS LUCK REPLAY

Bankers Luck took a debut win in the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Grassroots on Jul. 5. The Tony Alagna trainee then finished fourth in an OSS Gold and was narrowly beaten a week later by Sylvia Hanover. She is a homebred for Brittany Farms.

Woodbine Mohawk Park holds the Dream Maker second leg for freshman pacers and a Fillies and Mares Preferred on its Friday, Aug. 5 card. The first race will begin at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink