Herculean victory by Sicario

Sicario overcame a nightmare trip to win the harness racing Preferred 2 Trot at Georgian Downs on Monday and lowered his lifetime mark in the process.

The field denied Sicario (Austin Sorrie) a spot on the inside in the early going, so the son of Holiday Road trudged forward on the outside. He camped on leader Jumpshot’s (Nick Steward) flank after the opening quarter mile in :27.2 and moved to within a half length at the second station in :57.1.

Sicario outlasted Jumpshot and cleared to the lead after three quarters of a mile on the outside, which he covered in 1:25. The new leader kicked away by three lengths at the top of the lane as Jumpshot backed through the field. Esquire (Colin Kelly) sliced through rivals and reeled in the leader, but Sicario had enough stamina to seal the victory in 1:55.1.

Esquire was short by a head. Fly Beyond (Travis Cullen) also flew in the dash for home, gaining six and a half lengths in the stretch and taking show.

Sicario paid $12.20 in his 24th career win. The six-year-old gelding has amassed $229,508 in earnings over 102 lifetime starts. Walkerton residents Pamela and John Hehn own the horse.

Also on the card, Kitchener trainer Earl MacLoed secured his first win of 2021 as his Johnny William colt Malcolm G rode the pylons to victory lane in 1:58.4. Scott Young drove the five-year-old trotting gelding to his second career score in 43 appearances. Malcolm G has earned $58,766 for MacLeod, who owns with breeder Clifton Hobbs of West Montrose.

Young also guided conditioner Timothy Cherwaiko’s first winner of the season in the fourth race. The reinsman sent Archies Star first-up near five-eighths, and the horse grinded to a slim victory in 1:57.1, a new lifetime mark. Archies Star is a four-year-old Archangel gelding that has won five times and earned $57,901 in 35 outings. Cherwaiko, who resides in Cambridge, co-owns with Bernard Tobin and Trevor Cherwaiko of Georgetown and Joseph Beaudry of Milton.

Driver Thomas Smith and trainer Jayne Walker both notched their first wins of the year in a last-to-first comeback win with Elbe in the fifth race. The horse was twelve and a half lengths behind at the quarter but gained throughout the 2:01 mile and nailed Wheeling In Cash (Brett Macdonald) on the wire. Elbe, a four-year-old daughter of Johnny William, broke her maiden after three starts with the win. Overseas Farms Ltd. of Cambridge and Adam Redmond of Binbrook share ownership of the horse.

Smith, a resident of Holland Centre, has driven 469 winners since his career began in 1981. Walker started in 1995 and has visited the winner’s circle 117 times.

Georgian Downs will return on Wednesday, Jul. 6 as the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots and Prospect series pack a 10-race program. Five Grassroots divisions, three Prospect Series dashes, and a Preferred 2 Pace will be contested during the card, which kicks off at 7: 15 p.m. EDT.

For full race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink