Grey Sea great in $50,000 Bev Sears Memorial

Grey Sea (Custard The Dragon) marched to a career-best victory in the $50,000 Bev Sears Memorial on Saturday (May 6) at Century Downs, one of two four-year-old stakes finals on the day.

She settled fifth in a :28.2 first panel, then followed Rison Star (Tyler Redwood) to the outside and rid her back to the half in :56.4. Nathan Sobey tipped Grey Sea three-high on the backstretch, and she exploded past her former cover to take the lead before three-quarters in 1:25.

The winner hustled into the stretch to draw away from threatening rivals, then cruised home once clear to prevail in a new lifetime mark of 1:54.

Rison Star held onto second at 29-1. Cozey Up (Brandon Campbell) finished third.

GREY SEA REPLAY

Grey Sea’s win streak is now three, including a victory in the BC-bred Stake at Fraser.  Sobey took over the mare’s training and driving when she moved to Alberta at the end of April. The Seaspray Stables homebred is nine-for-12 lifetime, and she has earned $52,330.

Blast Of Sunshine (Sunshine Beach) set off an explosive upset in the $50,000 Ed Tracey Memorial, holding off the favourites to score in a new best time.

Phil Giesbrecht instructed the stallion to decline a hole and press on from post eight, which landed him the lead just past the quarter in :27.3. The 32-1 shot edged away by three-lengths as he set a :56.2 half, but Kill A Dragon (Campbell) advanced first-up to become the main threat at three-quarters in 1:24.1.

Blast Of Sunshine and Kill A Dragon locked horns rounding the final turn. They were stride-for-stride, but Blast Of Sunshine rebuffed the attacker as they straightened for home, and she kept all rivals behind to completed the victory in 1:53.4.

Kioti (Michael Hennessy) passed the fading Kill A Dragon for place.

BLAST OF SUNSHINE REPLAY

Blast Of Sunshine has won five of his seven attempts this year and five of 15 lifetime. The stakes triumph lowered his mark by more than two seconds. Gerry Hudon trains the stallion, who has earned $39,220, for Monica Hudon of Sturgeon County, Denise Andrew of Calgary, and Jocelyn Giesbrecht of Fort Saskatchewan.

Shark Week (Vertical Horizon) captured the card’s Preferred. The win — clocked in 1:52.3 — was his fastest of six tallies in 10 tries this year. Hennessy drove the five-year-old, who is 26-for-60 lifetime with $243,745 in earnings, for trainer Rodney Hennessy. The conditioner co-owns Shark Week with Lorne Duffield of Edmonton. Armycaptin Hanover (Sobey) and Whiplash Smile (Thomas Miller) were second and third, respectively.

SHARK WEEK REPLAY

Century Downs’s next race date is listed as Friday, May 12.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink