Ok. What will it be first? So much to choose.
Four thoroughbred stakes at Calgary’s Century Downs including a pair by undefeated youngsters Chi Chi Time and Midnight Moover and one quarter horse stake?
Or 10 harness stakes races - every race an Alberta-bred stake - at Nisku’s Century Mile and three of which were won by driver Drew Campbell?
Gotta go with the latter.
“It was a great day of racing,” said veteran Campbell, who has won 6,220 races for purse earnings of over $24 million. Eight times he won over $1 million in a year mostly in Maine. In 2018 Campbell won over $2 million.
“When the money is down I like to put on my game,” continued Campbell, who is in his first year of driving in Alberta and is a cousin to Alberta fixture Brandon Campbell and is a Maritime native.
The second leading percentage driver in 2018 in North America, Drew’s consecutive hat trick began with Y V Weller in the second elimination of the Plainsman for three-year-old colts and geldings. Able to slow the pace down on the front end - :58 seconds for the half - before it picked up with three-quarters going in 1:25 1/5 - Campbell and Y V Weller had enough left to hold off Vlady G, who came smoking up the rail to win by half a length in 1:54 4/5.
Libra Mundi got third; Vegas Gangster was fourth. The top four in the two eliminations - and a draw between the two fifth-place finishers for the ninth spot - will meet in the $50,000 Plainsman Final on Saturday.
The other Plainsman elimination was won easily by Boleto A Mexico in 1:53 4/5 - who paid a healthy $15.80 to win - over Outlaw Country On. Trained, driven and co-owned by Jamie Gray, Boleto A Mexico has now been in the top three in 13 of his 17 starts.
Ruler of Dragons was third; Mammas Faith was fourth.
Campbell was back in the winner’s circle after the first elimination of the Princess for three-year-old fillies with odds-on-favourite Lets Go Gals trained by Alberta’s top conditioner Rebecca Kanak.
Winning in 1:55, Lets Go Gals rode a pocket trip behind soft fractions of :29 1/5 and :58 3/5 set by Gray’s Blue Star Aspire, who couldn’t take advantage. Sixty-seven to 1 longshot Y V Four Roses got second. Blue Star Aspire held on to win a photo for third over Chasing The Dragon.
Then, it was Drew Campbell one more time winning the second elimination of the Princess with Blue Star Strike in 1:53 4/5 which tied Boleto A Mexico for the fastest time of the night.
Sent to the top by Campbell, Blue Star Strike was met by a stern challenge by Terrible Custard, who boldly swept by her rivals from well back. But Terrible Custard, who came in with four straight wins, couldn’t get past a stubborn Blue Star Strike, who refused to lose and paid $3.50 to win.
B A Dragon was third; Mystery Shooter was fourth.
The $50,000 Princess Final is also on Saturday at The Mile.
Campbell appeared non-plussed after his three wins.
“I’m not a newcomer,” he said. “I’ve won five and six stakes on a single card many times.”
Ironically, Campbell said the most impressive horse he drove on Saturday wasn’t even any of his three winners.
“All of the horses I drove raced good. But G TS Skibidi should have won,” he said of the runner-up in a photo to Y V Michters in the second division of the Lone Star for two-year-old colts and geldings.
“I used him pretty hard in the middle half. He’ll go a bigger mile next time.”
‘Next time’ is October 17 for the $50,000 Final of the Lone Star.
But give credit to Y V Michters, who came second over and was flying at the end of the race which went in 1:54 4/5.
Trained by Rod Starkewski and driven by Dave Kelly, who flew in from Ontario for the big night, Y V Michters won the ASHA Colt stake in his previous start with another big closing effort. That race was on August 22 and he hadn’t raced since. Starkewski sends them ready.
The first division of the Lone Star was taken by Dungannigans in 1:57 4/5, who paid $14.50 to win.
Shark Edition was second; favourite Dragonkind was third and Sam Credit was fourth.
The third division of the Lone Star went to Somewhat Tipsy in 1:55. Second last, Somewhat Tipsy was rolling hard down the stretch. Scouts Command was second; Hanmore snuck up the rail for third; favourite Outlaw Hammer Down was fourth.
The final three stakes were divisions of the Starburst for two-year-old fillies.
Vertical Smile won the first in 1:58 in a three-horse photo over Blue Star Shania and Myartsdesire with Vertical Smile in the middle of Blue Star Shania and Myartsdesire.
Vertical Smile paid $26.00 to win after being sent off at 65-1 in her previous start when she finished last.
Vertical Smile is owned by Raymond Henry and trained and driven by Brandon Campbell.
The second division of the Starburst went to Miss Melanie who came from last to first - and was still second-last looking disinterested at the head of the stretch.
Clocked in 1:57, Miss Melanie was driven by Phil Giesbrecht for trainer Justin Currie and owner Paul Sanders.
The third division of the Starburst went to Outlaw Risk N Hope in 1:55 2/5 in a very tight photo over pacesetter Captain Tahiti, who was wide taking the lead from her outside eight post position and simply got a little tired after a hard pressed opening quarter in :28 1/5 and a half in :57 3/5.
Outlaw Risk N Hope, the 1-4 favourite, was also tired drifting out in the stretch but having just enough left for driver Logan Gillis, trainer Constance Kolthammer and owner Outlaw West Stable to get up in the final strides.
Well spread out it came down to the two favourites with Captain Tahiti the second choice at 3-1. Third-place finisher Shake Your Booty, who won a photo for third over Sloppy Monster, were well back.
The $50,000 Starburst Final is October 17.
Whew.
Now the thoroughbred and quarter horse highlights from Saturday in Calgary.
William Leech completed a rare double winning the Distance stake for quarter horses with venerable Flight Club and then promptly taking the first thoroughbred stake of the card one race later in the CTHS Sales stake two-year-old colts and geldings division with the anything-is-possible thoroughbred Midnight Moover.
Leech pulled off the same feat on September 11 at Century Mile when Midnight Moover won the Alberta Premiers and Leech’s Great Falls won the Canada Cup Quarter Horse Futurity.
Both Flight Club and Midnight Moover were sent off at 1-9. Both are equine delights and jockey Alex Marti rode both of them. But that’s where the similarity ends.
Flight Club is eight-years-old, a winner of 22 races and could be in his final season; Midnight Moover is just beginning - he is now three-for-three.
Reduced to a three-horse race, Midnight Moover’s potential is unlimited. He won the Sales Stake by an eased up half a dozen lengths. He won his previous two races in similar fashion.
This time though, Marti was able to teach Midnight Moover.
“I tapped him with the whip twice. I had never done that with him before,” said Marti.
“When I tapped him he responded. I looked back and nothing was coming. I took a little hold and he did the rest.”
Leech said he asked Marti to let Midnight Moover run a little down the lane.
“Not just gallop,” said Leech. “It’s going to be tough next year so he needs to know what to expect.”
Leech said “That’s it for him this year.
“He deserves some time off. He’s happy. He’s nice and sound.
Midnight Moover's owners Shawn Vander Hayden and Lyle Adams rented a ‘party’ bus and brought up some 30 people from Calgary and Lethbridge to watch Midnight Moover strut in Nisku.
“They were sure excited,” said Leech. “A lot of the people who came had never seen a horse race before.”
Then there is the equally brilliant Chi Chi Time, who won her seventh race in a row without a defeat with another easy romp in the $50,000 CTHS Sales stake three- and four-year-old fillies and mares division.
Runner-up in last year’s Sovereign Awards balloting as Canada’s top three-year-old filly, Chi Chi Time, the only four-year-old in the field, has never come close to losing.
But trainer and co-owner Pat Jarvis’ stomach trembled at the start of Saturday’s Sales stake when the ground broke out from underneath her and she stumbled.
“Every time I lead her over my stomach does that but this time there was a reason,” said Jarvis.
“I was hoping for the best and it came out the best. I’m glad Kimal (jockey Santo) was able to pick her up so quickly.
Jarvis said there is a race for Chi Chi Time next weekend but she is “undecided.
“It will be up to her. She makes you wait. In the spring she had a foot injury. Earlier, her stifles were bothering her.
“We just wait until she is right. We’re definitely not going to push her.
“She keeps us awake at night believe me.
“It’s fun to have a horse like this. She’s so special.
“She’ll get the winter off and home she comes back strong as a five-year-old.”
Jarvis, who was uprooted when Vancouver shut down racing, said there are no plans to send Chi Chi Time outside of Alberta.
“We don’t plan on going anywhere.
“I even bought a place in Leduc.
“Alberta wants horse racing.”
STOCK REPORT
There were two other thoroughbred stakes on Saturday’s elite program.
“I almost won three stakes,” said Marti, who was aboard Queen Astrid, who finished a strong, closing second in the CTHS Sales stake - two-year-old fillies division - behind favourite Beyondthesun.
Owned by Jen Dueck and trained by Jim Brown, Beyondthesun broke her maiden by eight lengths and then was the runner-up in the Kindergarten and Princess Margaret stakes.
Finally - whew again - there was the CTHS Sales stake - three and four-year-old colts and geldings division.
That was won by Chase, who came in from Washington’s Emerald Downs where she won the Auburn stake.
Prominent throughout, Chase, trained by Rob Henson, won by a length over River Seven.
Ridden by Century Downs’ leading rider Amadeo Perez, Chase paid $8.40 to win.
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Inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2017.
Author: The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty.