No catching this pacer
Adkins Hanover easily takes $7,500 Johnny Conroy Memorial Invitational
There was no looking back for Adkins Hanover on Sunday afternoon at the Truro Raceway in Nova Scotia as the pacer dominated the field in the $7,500 Johnny Conroy Memorial Invitational.
The Trevor Hicken trainee was sent from the word ‘go’ by catch-driver Ryan Ellis who proceeded to lay down fractions of 27.3, 55.4 and 1:24.2 while never having another horse get within a length of him.
The mile was closed out in 1:54.2 with Adkins Hanover a three-and-a-quarter length victor over His Boy Elroy, driven by Bernard McCallum, with Carracci Hanover (Darren Crowe) finishing third. Adkins Hanover is owned by Perry Burke of Grosse-Ile., Que.
The stakes trail continues this Saturday at Northside Downs in North Sydney, N.S., with the Atlantic Sires Stakes for two-yearold pacing colts and fillies along with the $5,000 JA Ferguson Memorial Invitational.
The Ferguson Memorial has a field of five pacers, including Forever Paradise for Island trainer Kevin MacLean and owners Reg MacPherson and David MacKenzie of Stratford along with Aaron MacKenzie of Winsloe. John Gerard Kennedy will steer the son of Western Paradise from Post 3. Heart And Soul has rail control for trainerdriver Clare MacDonald and owner Riley Farms Ltd., of Summerside. The other three horses hail from Nova Scotia with Distinctiv Rusty, His Boy Elroy and Surrealist.
The afternoon card will see the final leg of the Atlantic Sires Stakes for the 2017 season before the Atlantic Breeder’s Crown final on Thanksgiving weekend. The two-year-old pacing filly division only attracted eight entries, which leads to a single division with a healthy purse of $17,800 while the twoyear-old pacing colts have two divisions each carrying a purse of $9,860.
Sunday at the Truro Raceway in Nova Scotia, the Donnie and George Turner Memorial stakes will take centre stage for threeyear-old pacers along with the Nova Scotia stake for two and three-year-old trotters.
Across The Continent
Tuesday night at Mohawk
Raceway in Ontario, Big Talking Man was a winner in 1:52 flat in a $14,000 class for trainer Marcel Barrieau and driver Sylvain Filion. The two-year-old son of Big Jim was broke and trained by Robert Phillips of South Pinette with him starting career off winning the Callbeck stakes in Summerside in July in 1:58.3 with Ken Murphy at the lines. Big Talking Man is co-owned by Phillips along with Nova Scotia owners Kevin Harvey and Darryl MacDonald.
Maritime Scene
There were six dashes held at Exhibition Park Raceway in Saint John, N.B., last Saturday including an accident that saw R Es JJ fall to the track and send driver Stephen Mason to the hospital with a shattered elbow and a fractured shoulder. Officials with Horse Racing New Brunswick have cancelled the final three cards scheduled for E.P.R. in 2017 for financial considerations.