Elims for big stakes this Saturday at Century

More harness racing stake action will take place on Saturday at Century Downs. The eliminations for both the Shirley McClellan and Moore’s Mile are on the program and are just a few of the 12 races set to go.

RACE 5: SHIRLEY MCCLELLAN BREEDERS’ STAKE THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLIES (FIRST ELIMINATION)- $8,300

1. Shes A Tinker (15-1)
2. Beep Bop A (5-2)
3. Festiveus   (9-5)
4. Dear John Im Gone (20-1)
5. Caviar N Crackers  (4-1)
6. Promise Kept        (6-1)

Beep Bop A Lula (Vertical Horizon) finished second in the ABSS Diamond final and will look to improve in the next stake series. She earned a new lifetime mark of 1:56.1 in the ABSS Diamond elimination. She has not finished worse than second place in her last four starts. It’s hard to imagine Beep Bop A Lula won’t be able to score in this one.

Caviar N Crackers (Captive Audience) finished third just behind Beep Bop A Lula last time out.  She also achieved a new lifetime mark of 1:54.3 in the ABSS Diamond eliminations. She has been finding ways to earn cheques all year and will look to continue on Saturday.

Festiveus (Vertical Horizon) heads into the race as the morning line odd favourite. She finished fourth last time out but will look to bounce back. Festiveus has only seven lifetime starts and has won two times. Her lifetime mark of 1:56.1 should be good enough to keep up to the rest in this elimination.

Trey’s Picks: 2-5-3

RACE 6: SHIRLEY MCCLELLAN BREEDERS’ STAKE THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLIES (SECOND ELIMINATION)-$8,300

1. Super Cozey   (2-1)
2. Waitinonawoman  (4-1)
3. Tina La Vida  (20-1)
4. Amped Up Annie  (6-1)
5. Cenalta Token  (5-2)
6. My Little Chloe  (8-1)

Cenalta Token (Mystery Chase) is the most experienced entry in the second elimination with 17 lifetime starts.  She will be looking to bounce back from an unfortunate seventh place finish in the ABSS Diamond Final. Before thaat, Cenalta Token was racing well in California by clinching a couple wins down in at Cal Expo. If she stays flat on Saturday, Cenalta Token should be taken seriously.

I like My Little Chloe (Lambretta) as my second choice in the second elimination.  In five lifetime starts, she has three top three finishes. She has a pretty decent betting average heading into Saturday. My Little Chloe did have a bad trip in the ABSS Diamond Final but I expect the Manitoba-bred filly to bounce back and earn a spot in next week’s final.

I will take the rail and Super Cozey (Captive Audience) for my third selection. She has yet to earn a win, but she finds a way to consistently earn cheques. Super Cozey’s best lifetime finish is third place. She will likely keep it close and finish near the top.

Trey’s Picks: 5-6-1

RACE 7: SHIRLEY MCCLELLAN BREEDERS’ STAKE THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLIES (THIRD ELIMINATION) -$8,400

1.  Riskofthunderstorm   (6-1)
2. Cora Cora Cora   (12-1)
3. Nonversation  (4-1)
4. G Ts Skyla  (2-1)
5. Handcuffed   (8-1)
6.  Maching Millions   (5-2)
7. Ima Beach Diva  (10-1)

If G Ts Skyla (Mystician) is not scratched, she should be the top choice at post time. She has only finished worse than third once in her career. However, she has scratched twice over the last handful of starts once for being lame and another for sickness. G Ts Skyla’s lifetime mark is 1:57.1 and she almost matched that earlier this year.

Maching Millions (Andreoli Hanover) is looking to continue her hot start to 2023. In three starts this year, she has a win and a second place after having a bad first start. The Manitoba bred and sired filly will be looking to make some noise since being transferred to the Travis Ellis stable. Her personal best of 1:56.1 could be easily matched on Saturday.

Nonverstaion (Mystician) won her first race lifetime last time out and will look to continue her form. She paced the mile in a steady 1:58.3 but will likely need to better to keep up to this field of three-year-olds. She has been teamed up with Michael Hennessy over the last few starts and the two have been growing chemistry. Should be a duo to circle on the program on Saturday.

Trey’s Picks: 4-6-3

RACE 8: MOORE’S MILE BREEDERS’ STAKE THREE-YEAR-OLD COLTS & GELDINGS (FIRST ELIMINATION)-$12,500

1. Outrageous N Fancy  (12-1)
2. Tin Can Timmy   (5-2)
3. Ponder No Longer   (8-1)
4. Handsome Dan   (4-1)
5. Virtual Horizon  (4-5)
6.  Yru So Sirius  (6-1)
7. Over The Horizon  (10-1)

Virtual Horizon (Vertical Horizon) is coming into the first elimination on a five-race win streak. The young three-year-old has already earned over $137,000 in just 12 lifetime starts. He has visited the winner’s circle on eight different occasions and will be looking forward to his ninth trip on Saturday. His lifetime mark of 1:53.3 is a hard one to match.

Handsome Dan (State Treasure) has been fitting in nicely at Century Downs since coming in from Fraser Downs. He earned a new lifetime mark of 1:54.4 on the 11/16^th of a mile track. He only has two lifetime wins but could put some pressure on the heavy favourite, Virtual Horizon.

Tin Can Timmy (Bjs Bequia) is winless in 2023 but has race consistently near the top. In five starts, his worst finish has been fourth place just one time. The rest of his starts, Tin Can Timmy falls just short of capturing his first win of the year. He has won four times in his lifetime and has a lifetime mark of 1:55.4.

Trey’s Picks: 5-4-2

RACE 9: MOORE’S MILE BREEDERS’ STAKE THREE-YEAR-OLD COLTS & GELDINGS (SECOND

ELIMINATION) -$12,500

1. Alpine Billy   (12-1)
2. Catfish Jack   (3-1)
3. The Dickens  (8-1)
4. Opulent Dragon  (4-1)
5. General Custard   (2-1)
6. Panda Beer (20-1)
7. Lumber Baron (15-1)
8. One Major Hottie (10-1)

Catfish Jack (Bjs Bequia) has gotten in a fair bit of racing in already in 2023. He spent his early spring down at Cal Expo before moving back north to Century Downs. His win in the ABSS Marksman elimination was good enough to be his new lifetime mark which now sits at 1:55.1. He finished fourth in the ABSS Marksman finals but will be looking to bounce back on Saturday.

I am going to take General Custard (Custard The Dragon) as my second selection. He’s only finished worse than third once this year and that was caused by him breaking early in the race. If he is able to stay flat, there should be no issues for this pacer. He earned a new lifetime mark of 1:55.3 his last time out and will be looking for more on Saturday.

To round out the last stake elimination is Opulent Dragon (Custard The Dragon). He already has a couple wins under his belt this year and he has the personal best mile time of 1:56.0. He should be able to keep up with the other top horses in the second elimination.

Century Downs will go to post at 1:15 p.m. MDT on Saturday and at 2:15 p.m. on Sunday for a special Father’s Day card.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Trey Colbeck, for Harnesslink