The baying howls of the Halloween wind that gusted to almost 40 km were inconsequential to The Great Shark in one of four two-year-old stakes at Century Mile Friday night.
The Great Shark simply went wire-to-wire in the first division of the $25,000 Rocky Mountain Boys and on to a very impressive two and a quarter length triumph.
It was more ammunition for The Great Shark in this Saturday’s rich Super Finals. The Great Shark has now won six in a row. Yet he wasn’t even favoured in the Rocky Mountain with that distinction going to third-place finisher Ruler of Dragons, who will get a chance at revenge in the $90,000 Super Finals.
Both of Ruler Of Dragons’ only two losses in seven races have come at the hands of The Great Shark: Saturday’s Rocky Mountain and his division of the October 10 Lonestar where he lost to The Great Shark by a diminishing head.
There are eight Super Final races on the card: four $90,000 Finals and four $15,000 consolations.
One of the Finals is for two-year-old colts and geldings - the race where The Great Shark and Ruler of Dragons, who came into the Rocky Mountain having won five of his six career starts, will hook up again.
Another is for two-year-old fillies. A third is for three-year-old fillies and the fourth is for three-year-old colts and geldings.
The consolations are for the same categories.
The Great Shark, who was just taken over by trainer/driver Kelly Hoerdt from more than capable former trainer Brinsley Brooking Lutz, made it look easy despite the torturous head wind that blew hard into the horse’s faces down the stretch and accounted for slow final quarters all evening and a :30 4/5 final quarter for The Great Shark.
“The wind was a big factor,” said Hoerdt of the wind which accounted for a two-second track variant.
“It made coming from behind very difficult.”
The Great Shark easily had the fasted final time of Friday’s four two-year-old stakes finishing his mile in 1:56 2/5.
By comparison Bet He Rocks went in 1:57 4/5 winning the second division of the Rocky Mountain Boys; Alexia, the 8-5 favourite, paced in 1:58 2/5 in the first division of the Brad Gunn for two-year-old fillies and Blue Star Strike won the second division of the Brad Gunn in 1:57 3/5.
Owned by Michelle Danroth, who is also the breeder, and former stalwart trainer/driver Brent Grundy, The Great Shark opened with a first quarter in :29 1/5, blew down the backstretch in a wind aided :57 second half and three-quarters in 1:25 3/5 and then got the mile in the aforementioned 1:56 2/5 with the wind taking its toll with for a :30 4/5 final quarter.
Vegas Gangster was second.
The last four races The Great Shark has won all came in stakes. Prior to Saturday’s impressive victory the son of Smart Shark out of Great Desire won the September 20 $27,400 Rising Star at Lacombe’s Track On 2 winning most easily by two lengths after taking a five-length lead at the three-quarter pole.
Then he won the October 10 $27,100 Lonestar over hard charging Ruler Of Dragons and the October 17 $27,100 Shooting Star by four and a quarter lengths over Chasing Tigers.
Now the Rocky Mountain.
“I’ve only had The Great Shark for six days,” said Hoerdt, always a big presence in stakes races.
“Right now he does everything right; he’s a pretty normal horse.
“He has the potential to be a really good horse. His record speaks for itself.
“We won’t be taking anything for granted.”
The two horses Hoerdt is most concerned with are both Jamie Gray trainees - Ruler of Dragons and Mayhem N Madness, who had four straight seconds coming into the second division of he Rocky Mountain Boys.
Drawing the outside post 7 for the Rocky Mountain Mayhem N Madness briefly broke stride but gathered himself well and closed up for fourth.
The Great Shark has defeated Mayhem N Madness twice: in a condition pace and in the September 20 Risen Star.
The headline event of the Super Finals card will probably be the three-year-old fillies event where the sensational Custard Dolce will race.
A winner of 16 of 20 outings including the recent Century Casino Filly Pace when she somehow escaped being boxed in, Custard Dolce has already won $374,725 for owners Jackson Wittup, Max Gibb, Derek Wilson and trainer/breeder Gray.
Custard Dolce’s only losses came in her first career start last year, the Shirley McClellan - by inches to Mademechangemymind, who once again poses the biggest threat - and the Princess elimination and Final when Custard Dolce wasn’t 100 per cent.
Otherwise, perfection.
“You dream about horses like this,” said regular driver Phil Giesbrecht of the extremely talented three-year-old filly. “I’m so excited and fortunate to drive her.”
Prior to the June21 McClellan, Mademechangemymind’s trainer/owner Nathan Sobey said “It would take a perfect trip or catch (Custard Dolce) on an off day to beat her.”
Sure enough that’s exactly what happened when, on another very windy day Mademechangemymind drafted behind Custard Dolce - blocking the wind - to just nose out Custard Dolce.
It will probably take another perfect race scenario for Mademechangemymind to post another upset.
“Custard Dolce is a tremendous animal. If I finish second to her and I’m close I’m happy,” Sobey also said before the McClellan.
“Custard Dolce has proven that she can do it any way she wants: cut it; come from behind… She’s a very versatile horse. A very talented, special versatile horse.
“Custard Dolce is in a class of her own. She’s everything you want a race horse to be.”\
Mademechangemymind is hardly a slouch. Second in the Century Casino Filly Pace, Mademechangemymind has been first or second in 15 of her 20 races.
The other two Super Finals races are for three-year-old colts and geldings and the two-year-old filly race.
The three-year-old boys race appears wide open with the likes of Outlawminutbyminut, Discontinued and Momas Work Of Art all expected to have their say.
Outlawminutbyminut was a solid runner-up to Hands Off Harry in the recent Western Canada Pacing Derby and won the Marksman in the spring.
Speedy Discontinued won the Mavrick and the $90,000 Moores Mile.
Momas Work Of Art was third in the Derby and won the $118,400 Ralph Klein.
The two-year-old fillies race is also a toss up.
Blue Star Strike served notice in this past Saturday’s Brad Gunn going wire-to-wire. Trained by Mathew Howlett and owned by his father, Donald, Blue Star Strike won by two and three-quarter lengths. She was stakes placed in the Stardust eliminations and Final and the Emerald Stakes - the latter in just her second lifetime start.
B A Dragon, the probable favourite, won five in a row before finishing second in the Brad Gunn - where she was the favourite - making up a lot of ground in the stretch after drawing the outside 7 post. Her wins include the Stardust, Starburst and Starlet. Owned by JJJ Stables, Paul Sanders and trainer Jamie Gray, B A Dragon was the odds-on-favourite in all three of those races and didn’t disappoint with convincing wire-to-wire victories.
Lovemymockingbird can’t be discounted either. She drew an outside post in her division of the Brad Gunn where she finished sixth - a result which can probably be ignored. She was a handy winner of her division of the Starburst and was second in the Stardust.
Also looming dangerous at a price is Terrible Custard who rolled past Lovemymockingbird in her division of the Starburst in her last appearance. In her second-last race she was a strong second to B A Dragon at 37-1 in the Starburst.
Whatever happens the loaded Super Finals card is bound to be a great evening of racing. Post time is 6:15 p.m. at Century Mile.
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Author: The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty.