Divine Art powerful in $56,000 ABSS Diamond

Divine Art (Outrageous Art) bottomed out her harness racing three-year-old filly pacer rivals in the $56,000 Alberta Sires Stakes Alberta Diamond final at Century Downs on Saturday (Jul. 9).

Proud Of My Roots (David Kelly) rocketed out from post five and glided by Divine Art, who hit the quarter in third as Chaste Forever (Kelly Hoerdt) hustled two-wide to take point and complete the first panel in :26.3. Nathan Sobey pulled Divine Art out on the second turn and put her up front just after the half in :55.4.

The filly strode away from rivals in the third quarter, opening up seven lengths on by three-quarters in 1:23.4. She thundered to the finish and scored in a career-best 1:53.3 by six-and-a-quarter lengths over Jamaica Move (J. Brandon Campbell).

Wrangler Jewel (Jean Francois Gagne) closed for third.

Sobey trains Divine Art, who has now won six times in 12 starts. She won her division’s Alberta Sires Stakes Super Final as a rookie, which contributed a chunk of her $110,617 bankroll. Robert Jones of Stony Plain, Diane Bertrand of Edmonton, and John Hind of Calgary own the filly.

In the counterpart race for sophomore pacing males, the ABSS Alberta Marksman, Lets Tie One On (Vertical Horizon) rallied from seventh to win in lifetime-best time.

Phil Giesbrecht dropped the colt back to seventh while Joe Rich (Campbell) cut a :27.2 first quarter on the lead. Lets Tie One On swung wide just before the half in :56.4 and ripped through the 10-length deficit to be fourth and four back at three-quarters in 1:24.4 behind the first-over Joe Dimagio (Hoerdt).

Giesbrecht tipped Lets Tie One On three-high on the final turn, and the colt grinded past Joe Dimagio in the stretch to score in 1:55. He prevailed by a half-length. Vegas Gambler (Michael Hennessy) was well back in third.

Lets Tie One On has won six times and brought in $97,145 over 15 career starts. Christopher Lancaster has trained him to two wins this season and co-owns him with Hoerdt, a resident of Beaumont, and Derek Gilbert of Brandon.

“He’s actually been a very nice colt,” Lancaster said in a post-race interview. “Me and Derek Gilbert picked him out of the yearling sale two years ago, and it was a solid effort last year. He was second in the (Robert Millbank Memorial), fourth in the Super Finals. He’s just been a really honest little Vertical Horizon colt.”

Lancaster went on to show appreciation for the support of the Gilbert family in his racing career.

The Alberta Sires Stakes continues on Sep. 3 with the Alberta Starlet and Rising Star for two-year-old fillies and colts/geldings, respectively. To view ABSS information, click here.

Century Downs resumes racing on Friday, Jul. 15.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink