Exotic Dragon flies in ABSS

Century Downs contested two harness racing elimination events each of the Alberta Diamond and Alberta Marksman for three-year-old Alberta-breds on Sunday, and Exotic Dragon was beastly in the second division for fillies.

Exotic Dragon held the pocket spot for the opening quarter mile but brushed to the front for trainer/driver Nathan Sobey as the field of nine passed the grandstand. She put up a :56.4 half and 1:26 three-quarters, after which she exploded away from her rivals en route to an eight-and-a-half length romp in 1:54. Outlaw Endofanera (Tyler Redwood) finished took second in the stretch from Da Magic Coco (Serge Masse), who finished third. The winner paid $5.10.

EXOTIC DRAGON REPLAY

Exotic Dragon has earned all of her three career wins in the past three weeks. The daughter of Custard The Dragon has made six starts and earned $12,390. Robert Jones of Stony Plain is the owner.

Burning Hot (Paul Giesbrecht) lived up to her 1/9 billing as she went wire-to-wire in the seven-horse first Alberta Diamond division with fractions of :28.2, :57.1, 1:25.4, and a 1:55.4 final time. Outlaw Sharktastic (Jamie Gray) reeled in the leader in the stretch but was a length short in second. Sent By Angels (Brandon Campbell) was well back in third.

BURNING HOT REPLAY

A $2 win ticket brought backers $2.10.

Burning Hot has now won two straight and six of 11 lifetime tries for Rodney Starkewski of Lamont and Clauzette Byckal of Onoway. Starkewski trains the Blue Burner filly, who set the track record – 1:55.2 – for her division as a two-year-old.

Sophomore males also did battle in two divisions of the Alberta Marksman eliminations.

Sobey visited the winner’s circle again in the first division as he piloted Dragon Energy, another offspring of Custard The Dragon, to a wire-to-wire victory. Dragon Energy fought off Samba Beat (Paul Giesbrecht) for front-end control, then headed his seven foes through fractions of :27, :56.3, and 1:26 and outlasted a surging Blue Who (Michael Hennessey) for the victory in 1:56.

Blue Who was second by a half-length; Samba beat finished third. The win price was $4.

DRAGON ENERGY REPLAY

The Sobey-trained Dragon Energy has been defeated just once, winning seven times in eight career starts to date and earning $70,458. He won the $50,000 Alberta Sires Stakes Super Final for two-year-old pacing males last season. Kurt and Kathy Schmidt of Leduc County and Robert James of Camrose own the gelding.

Shark Week bottomed out rivals in the second division with Hennessey aboard. He accelerated to the lead off the start and was never challenged through splits of :28.3 and :58.1. The son of Vertical Horizon increased speed to a 1:26.1 three-quarters as Codename Cigar Box (Kelly Hoerdt) threatened first-over, and Shark Week left his seven foes behind in the stretch as he strode away to a four-and-a-half-length 1:54.1 score.

Carro B Bunsen (Giesbrecht) rode the pocket to a place spot, and Codename Cigar Box tired to third. The winner returned $6.30.

SHARK WEEK REPLAY

Rodney Hennessey trains and co-owns Shark Week, a four-time winner from seven outings in which he has made $40,130. Lorne Duffield of Edmonton also owns the colt.

Mrs Suhwiggins (Michael Hennessey) upset at 17-1 in the Fillies and Mares Open with a 1:55.4 clocking.

Michael Hennessey, Sobey, and Jean-Francois Gagne each had driving doubles.

Century Downs returns with midweek action on Tuesday, Jun. 22. That card will begin at 2:15 p.m. MDT.

For full race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink