Century Mile keeps rolling on Saturday

Century Mile is down to three remaining days of harness racing in 2023. There are 10-dashes on the Saturday (Dec. 16) card.

Race 1

My top choice is Cenalta Token (Mystery Chase), and she is coming off a second-place finish. Her 4-1 odds are likely due to her lifetime mark 1:59.1 being a bit slower than others, and she drew post position eight. Outer post positions have never slowed her down too much before.

Winniepooh (Windfall Blue Chip) is the 2-1 favourite to kick off the card. The three-year-old filly only has one career win, and she paced that mile in 1:57.3. Her mile times since have been consistently sub-2:00, even though she has had trouble finishing the top three. She should have an excellent chance to win this one, but it will be tough.

The next best is HF Aprils Kiss (Santanna Blue Chip) at 5-2. She only has one win this year, and she hasn’t been able to finish in the top three very often. Drawing near the inside should be beneficial, but she must match her 1:58.3 to have a chance.

Race 2

Herd Immunity (Rockin Image) won wire-to-wire in his last race after having to come from post six and even posted a new lifetime mark of 1:53.3. This time, he will have the rail, which should give him an even bigger edge. He’s been racing well lately and has two wins in his last four starts, and he never finished worse than second over that time.

Needabankloan (Toucan Sam) is also coming off a win but he is stuck in post seven. His last win was good enough to be his new lifetime mark of 1:53.1, and he did come from off the pace to win. However, finding an early spot from where he has to line up will be tough, so I give the edge to Herd Immunity.

The only other horse in the field coming off a win is Tropical Dragon (Custard The Dragon). His mile time was 1:56.1, but he has posted faster times. He has nine wins this year and 22 in his career.

Race 3

Two names jump out in the third race, which could go either way. The favourite at 3-2, Rockin Roller (Domitian), has been hot lately as he’s won seven of his last nine starts. He paced his previous win in 1:53.3, but his fastest time was 1:51.3. If he hits his peak, it should be Rockin Roller’s race to win.

However, Captain Fireball (Captaintreacherous) has also been hot and has won four of his last five starts. He posted a new lifetime mark of 1:53.3 during his previous victory. He should be able to keep up with Rockin Roller, which will come down to these two.

It’s wide open for anyone to take home bronze, but according to the morning line odds, Shir Gain (Blue Burner) is the next favourite at 6-1. He had a nice stretch in October, winning three in a row, but that was at Fraser Downs. This is his second start at Century Mile, so he should be more used to the larger track.

Race 4

The superior mile times belong to Samba Beat (Santanna Blue Chip), as he’s had paced sub-1:53 consistently. He even went as fast as 1:51.3 in November, which is still his lifetime mark. It will be hard to catch him if he gets to the front.

Armycaptain Hanover (Captaintreacherous) has similar mile times but has yet to draw the rail recently. Now, with the fence, he can dictate how the race is set up. It will be interesting to see if he takes the early lead. If he does, he could easily match his lifetime mark of 1:52.4.

Bonus Round (Santanna Blue Chip) won his last start in 1:53.2, his best. He was racing in the Preferred class earlier in the fall but could never get the win. Now, he has come down to class, which should be a better spot for him.

Race 5

BB Bad Tothebone (Gotta Bad Attitude) is at 5-2 for a reason. She has finished in the top three in six straight races. She even had a couple of wins during that time and showed she liked the early lead.

If you’re looking for a decent price, then Fall Out Girl (Andreoli Hanover) might be how you want to go. Opened at 4-1, the mare has done alright for herself since moving to Alberta from Manitoba. Her only win at Century Mile so far was in 1:57.4.

The 2-1 favourite, Westcoast Captive (Captive Audience), returns to Alberta after racing at Fraser Downs in the B.C. Bred Stakes. Her time there didn’t go so well, but she now joins back into the normal flow.

Race 6

With back-to-back second-place finishes, Mister Moose (Mystician) will be in the hunt to finally return to the winner’s circle. He finished second in 1:54 in his last race and has the lifetime mark of 1:55.3.

Lumber Baron hasn’t drawn the inside for some time but finally gets his chance to have the rail this time. His lines show that he tends to get buried in the field, but now he should find open space early with the inside.

Panda Beer (Vertical Horizon) has won two of his last three starts. The other start was a seventh-place finish, but other than that, he has been racing very well over the last couple of months.

Race 7

Hopefully, Tuff As Buff (Sunshine Beach) will have odds similar to 10-1 by post time. He has finished in the top three in nine consecutive races. He even set a new lifetime mark of 1:55.3 in his last win and teams up with a familiar Blake Piwniuk.

Bud Neigh Kid (Vertical Horizon) won three races in a row before ending that streak in his last start. He has 13 wins this year, and his times rival that of Tuff As Buff and other favourites.

The 8-5 favourite, Show Stop, should be added to any Pick 5 wager, but I like Retros Mystery’s (Mystery Chase) chances better. He had back-to-back wins before finishing sixth in his last start. His mile times are very close to the rest.

Race 8

Pongo (Mystician) has the most wins this year at 10. He paced his last victory in 1:56.1, but his fastest of the year was 1:52.4. He could be a valid consideration to single in the Pick 5.

Mr Dillion (Lambretta) has yet to win this year but has been close. He tried going wire-to-wire in his last start but got caught late. Now that he has the rail, he could have more energy to fight off challengers down the stretch.

Midnight Mover (Mystician) finished second behind Pongo last time. Now, he has to come from post-nine, which could cause him to get lost in traffic early. However, he has shown he can rally late.

Race 9

The 2023 Manitoba Great Western winner, Handsome Dan (State Treasurer), comes in at 4-1. He won his last race after pacing the mile in 1:54; it was his fifth win of the year. He could have a decent price at post-time.

The Western Canada Pacing Derby champion, Blue Star Mercury (Mystician), draws post position eight. He has finished in the top three in eight straight races and has won three times during that stretch. The post position is the only concern.

General Custard’s (Custard The Dragon) hasn’t been able to win for some time but has finished in the top three in six of his last seven starts. His recent mile times are the fastest of the bunch, and he will likely be a betting favourite.

Race 10

The 2-1 favourite, Tina La Vida (Santanna Blue Chip), has won two of her last three races and draws the rail this time. Her times show that she is very competitive in this class.

Ak Black Badger (Andreoli Hanover) has back-to-back wins and a new lifetime mark of 1:57.4. Her times are very similar to Tina La Vida, so those will likely battle it out.

Short Sell Hanover (Bettors Delight) is also coming in off a win. She paced the winning mile in 1:56.4 but has a lifetime mark of 1:55.4. Any of these three has a legitimate chance, so keep that in mind for the Pick 5.

Pick 5 (Races 6-10): 1,3,4,5 / 2,3,4,9/3/4,5,8/1,4,8

First race at Century Mile is set for  6:15 p.m. MDT.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Trey Colbeck, for Harnesslink