Shark Week still unstoppable

Shark Week (Vertical Horizon) extended his win streak to nine with another Preferred-Handicap harness racing victory at Century Mile on Wednesday (Jan. 22).

The gelding reprised his usual role, wiring the field in a dominant performance for driver Mike Hennessy. He carved out fractions of :27.2, :56, and 1:25.2. Pocket-tripper General Custard (David Kelly) stayed with him down the lane, but Shark Week proved uncatchable and prevailed by two lengths in 1:53.3. General Custard was second-best. Matts A Mystician (Dave Kelly) finished third.

SHARK WEEK REPLAY

Shark Week has won 26 of his last 27 starts, all at the Preferred level. In that stretch, dating back to April 2023, the gelding broke the overall track records at both Century Casinos ovals and became the first horse to break 1:50 in Western Canada harness racing history. He is 51-for-86 lifetime and has earned $432,725. Rodney Hennessy trains and co-owns the seven-year-old with Lorne Duffield.

Outlaw Sharktastic (Smart Shark, Nathan Sobey) got the monkey off her back in the Fillies and Mares Preferred, winning the co-feature after five straight place finishes. She followed Stash The Cookies (Kelly), winner of four of the past five renditions of the class, through :27.4, :56.1, and 1:25.4 panels. Outlaw Sharktastic then hunted down the leader in the stretch and rolled clear to win by two-and-a-quarter lengths in 1:54.3.

Stash The Cookies held second over Goodbye Ceia Later (Phil Giesbrecht).

OUTLAW SHARKTASTIC REPLAY

Outlaw Sharktastic, trained by Sobey, has compiled career totals of 116 starts, 17 wins, and $217,836 in earnings. She finished second in her previous five tries at the top distaff level, three of them by less than a quarter-length. Sobey co-owns the seven-year-old with Glenda Winkleman and Glenn Pinel.

Giesbrecht won four times on the 10-race card, driving three Matt Howlett trainees to victory.

Century Mile hosts its next card on Saturday, Jan. 25, beginning at 6:15 p.m. MST.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink