In one of this Saturday’s two most prestigious races of the year with both going for over $100,000 Brandon Campbell - is the ‘huntee’ with the sublime Grey Horizon in the Western Canada Pacing Derby. In the other - the Century Casino Filly Pace - he is one of the hunters with Over Ice looking to try to topple Outlawguns N Roses.
“It’s a great place to be right now,” said Campbell, perennially one of Alberta’s top drivers and trainers.
“I’ve got a good shot in both of them.”
Both the Derby and the Filly Pace go for over $100,000.
On paper, which races aren’t contested on, Grey Horizon is clearly the one to beat having won seven of his 12 races this year, five in a row including the $105,000 Ralph Klein in a personal best 1:53 and 12 of of his 20 career starts.
The three-year-old son of Vertical Horizon won the second of two Pacing Derby eliminations this past Saturday but it was close with the margin of victory being just three-quarters of a length over hard charging Outlawstaythecourse and Hurricane J. in a three-horse photo.
“I think he’s a pretty typical Vertical Horizon colt in that he doesn’t win by more than they have to,” said Campbell.
“He came out of the elimination very good. He didn’t even take a deep breath after the race.”
It was Grey Horizon’s first start in over a month but Campbell knew the colt he owns with Jodi Loftus, Raymond Henry and George Rogers was fit enough.
“I trained him in 1:53 a week before the elimination.”
The Derby is expected to be Grey Horizon’s last start in Alberta with Campbell saying the owners have been fielding several offers for the winner of $247,000.
In the first elimination Rememberthecustard got a perfect journey and just got by favoured Rum N Custard and One Hot Minute in the final strides to win by a head at odds of 5-1.
Both eliminations were clocked in 1:55 flat.
“Rememberthecustard got a great trip,” said trainer Rod Hennessy of the strategy used by his son Michael getting away in third position and not having to use his horse until the final eighth of a mile.
Owned by Lorne Duffield, it was only Rememberthecustard’s third win in 18 starts this season but two of those wins have come in his last three starts.
“He’s slowly getting better,” said Hennessy. “He’s a great big horse and I think he is maturing at hopefully the right time.
“Or maybe he’s a horse that is just better on a mile track.”
This past Saturday’s elimination was only the second time this year Rememberthecustard had raced at Century Mile.
"He raced good. He kicked in good,” said Hennessy, who has won three Derbies.
Another trainer/driver with three Derby wins is Kelly Hoerdt having won with the marvellous Trust The Artist, who would win 53 of his 169 starts, in 2007; Outlaw Gunpowder in 2014 and then Kneedeep N Custard in 2019.
The top four finishers from this past weekend’s eliminations make it to Saturday’s finals at Century Mile with a draw to be made between the two fifth-place finishers - Matteus and Believe It Sea It - for the ninth and final spot.
Depending on that - with Hoerdt the trainer of Believe It Sea It - he could have as many as three horses in the Derby Final. Hoerdt has already qualified Rum N Custard and Hurricane J,
“This has not been a stellar year for three-year-old colts and geldings,” said Hoerdt. “That makes for a competitive race.
“On form Grey Horizon is the one to beat. But I really believe that anyone is capable of winning or losing depending on how the race goes.
“The right trip and the right post will decide it,” said Hoerdt, who has won just under $20 million as both a trainer and a driver and who, in 2013, was named the O’Brien Award of Horsemanship.
Upsets aren’t all that unusual in the Derby. Last year Virtual Horizon, who had won 13 in a row and who was 8-5 lost to Blue Star Mercury.
As for the Century Casino Filly Pace Outlawguns N Roses will be the favourite having won nine of her 11 starts this year and 13 of 20 outings in her career. She has already earned almost $275,000.
But a three-year-old Fillies Open race that was also on this past Saturday’s card showed that Outlawguns N Roses is not unbeatable.
Outlawguns N Roses won that race but it was by a whisker as pace setter Over Ice took what appeared to be an insurmountable lead but just barely failed to hang on in a race that went in 1:53 1/5 - just two-fifths of a second off the three-year-old filly track record at Century Mile. Owned by trainer Rod Starkewski and Clauzette Byckal, Outlawguns N Roses went in 1:51 3/5 at Century Downs in Balzac when she won the Gord and Illa Rumpel on August 10 by eight lengths.
“On Saturday I think Over Ice may have lost sight of Outlawguns N Roses and stopped fighting,” said Campbell.
“Over Ice was real good and I know that Over Ice will have to be at her absolute best to beat Outlawguns N Roses,” said Campbell. “I have nothing but respect for Rod (Starkewski’s) filly. I don’t know if I’ve seen a horse like her.
“But Over Ice is peaking at the right time. She’s feeling good which she wasn’t earlier this year.
“Outlawguns N Roses and Over Ice have finished heads apart in their last two meetings and we came up just short both times,” Campbell said referring to this past Saturday’s duel and the August 31 Princess Final where Over Ice missed by just half a length.
“I’ve definitely got a shot.”
STOCK REPORT - There will be two other stake finals this Saturday at Century Mile: the $50,000 Brad Gunn for two-year-old fillies and the $50,000 Rocky Mountain Boys for two-year-old colts and geldings.
In this past weekend’s eliminations, Custard Dolce won her sixth straight - all in stakes - when she won in 1:55 - the same time as the Derby eliminations - in the Brad Gunn’s $25,000 first elimination.
Custard Dolce won by a length and a quarter over hard charging Mademechangemymind.
Blowing In the Wind took third; JK ATM was fourth.
In the second $25,000 Brad Gunn elimination Hot Shot Shark led all the way to win by two and a half lengths over Ahoof Ahead in 1:56 2/5.
Hot Shot Shark is out of Starkewski’s former Alberta Horse of the Year Crackers Hot Shot.
In the first elimination of the Rocky Mountain Boys, 8-1 Custers Stand won for the first time in eight appearances in 1:54 1/5.
In the second elimination it was another upset - even bigger - when GTS Captain Solo also scored for the first time at odds of 29-1 pacing in 1:56 1/5.
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Author: The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty