First of the year for top N.S. Free-for-Aller

Rotten Ronnie (Malicious), winner of the 2023 Nova Scotia Governor’s Cup, snagged his first victory of the harness racing season on Wednesday (Aug. 7) at Inverness Raceway.

The stallion, driven by Redmond Doucet, brought the field through :30.3 and 1:01.3 opening fractions before being headed by the first-over Sunshine Lou (Zach Mullins) approaching three-quarters in 1:31.2. The pair crossed swords around the final turn and into the stretch when Rotten Ronnie proved the tougher of them. He repelled the foe and went on to win by a length-and-a-half in 2:00.1. Shir Gain (Rodney Gillis) closed for place along with Yacht Seelster (Zach Mullins), who finished third.

ROTTEN RONNIE REPLAY

Rotten Ronnie is now a 23-time winner in 61 career starts. He moved nearer to six figures in earnings with the latest tally, increasing his bankroll to $96,075. Lennan MacIsaac trains the six-year-old for owners Doucet and Andy Stewart of Inverness.

Inverness Raceway will host its next card on Sunday, Aug. 11.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink