McNair dominates $300,000 Alberta Sires Stakes Super Finals

Harness racing driver Doug McNair, about 2,600 kilometres west of his home track, stole the show in the Alberta Sires Stakes Super Finals on Saturday (Nov. 4) at Century Mile as the Ontario-based reinsman won three of the four $75,000 events.

Come On Santana (Santana Blue Chip) captured the first Super Final for two-year-old colts and geldings. McNair gave him a three-hole trip from post seven, and the gelding kicked home past Matteuse (Nathan Sobey) and Grey Horizon (Vertical Horizon) to win by a length-and-a-quarter in 1:54.4.

COME ON SANTANA REPLAY

Come On Santana is now five-for-eight this year with wins in the Rocky Mountain Boys, Alberta Sires Stakes Rising Star and Century Casino Pace. The Super Final cheque brought him past six digits in earnings to $114,750. Trainer Jamie Gray bred the gelding and partners in ownership with Max Gibb of Millarville and Riley and Brie Gray of Sturgeon County.

The Super Final win for Gray punctuated a night in which he reached $10 million in earnings as a trainer. Cora Cora Cora (Captive Audience) won the Super Final consolation for three-year-old fillies to bring him past the milestone. Gray began training and driving in the early 1980s and has since sent out horses to 8,732 races and won 1,673 of them. He also recently reached 20,000 driving starts and has won 2,724 races at the lines with $13,894,663 in earnings.

Michael Hennessy won the second Super Final with Byby Baby Byby (Vertical Horizon, picking up the pieces of a front-end duel between Outlawguns N Roses (David Kelly) and Foothills Magic (McNair). Byby Baby Byby sat the pocket as the top two dueled through the first three quarters, then pounced in the stretch and blew past Outlawguns N Roses to a four-and-a-half-length victory in 1:54.3. Outlawguns N Roses had a firm hold on the place spot, nine lengths clear of Caughtstealinghome (Gray) in third.

BYBY BABY BYBY REPLAY

Byby Baby Byby went unbeaten in her Alberta Sires Stakes campaign with wins in the Starlet and Starburst events. Her record is four wins from seven races and $79,625 in the bank for owner/breeders Bryan Brook of Leduc and Diane Hennessy of Strathmore. Rodney Hennessy trains the filly.

You Promyst (Mystician) brought McNair back to the winner’s circle in the three-year-old filly event. She pulled back a 10-length deficit from fourth at the midway point, tipping first-up around the final turn and quickly clearing the leaders before sailing to victory by two-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:55. Caviar N Crackers (Phil Giesbrecht) charged from last to get up for second over Nonversation (Sobey).

YOU PROMYST REPLAY

You Promyst’s win was her fifth lifetime in 16 starts. She debuted this year at three and has now earned $77,813. The filly, trained by Jean-Francois Gagne, won her Alberta Sires Stake Princess elimination but finished second in the final, and she was otherwise winless in the series. Joe Ratchford, who debuted her, shares ownership with Willie Wychopen of St. Paul.

The last Super Final, for three-year-old colts and geldings, saw its only major upset. Mickie Mantle (Custard The Dragon) sprinted past five horses in the stretch, including favourites Blue Star Mercury (Hennessy) and Virtual Horizon (Sobey), to score in 1:52.2 for McNair. General Custard (Kelly) fourth-over behind the winner and soared for second. Blue Star Mercury finished third.

MICKIE MANTLE REPLAY

Mickie Mantle was sent off at 9-1 after a campaign in which he did not win the final of any Alberta Sires Stakes preliminary race. He is four-for-13 on the season and won a leg of the BC-bred Stake on Sep. 21. The Kelly Hoerdt-trained colt has earned $177,498 lifetime and won nine of his 21 starts for owners Hoerdt and Fred Gilbert of Brandon.

The winners of the Alberta Sires Stakes Super Final consolations were: Rememberthecustard (Custard The Dragon, Hennessy, 2:00.2), Deo Doro (Custard The Dragon, McNair, 1:58.3), One Major Hottie (Mystician, Giesbrecht, 1:57), and Cora Cora Cora (McNair, 1:55.2)

McNair, a Woodbine Mohawk Park regular, made a rare trip west for the night of racing. He won two in addition to his three Super Final tallies, bringing him to five on the 13-race card. Hennessy, a local driver, one-upped the invader with six wins.

Also on the card, Shark Week extended won his 13th consecutive race with another Preferred win. To read about his performance and watch the replay, click here.

Century Mile will race next on Friday, Nov. 10.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink