Rideau trotting crown back to Black Tie Bash

Black Tie Bash (Chapter Seven) returned to his dominance over the Rideau Carleton Raceway top level with an open-length harness racing win in the Preferred-Handicap Trot on Thursday (Jul. 26).

Robert Shepherd dropped the gelding into the three-hole – his usual mid-pack spot – and travelled along the cones through :27.3 and :57.1. Black Tie Bash made his move down the backstretch and grappled first-up towards leader and last week’s winner Duke Lavictoire (Pascal Berube).

Black Tie Bash moved within a length at three-quarters in 1:25.3 and found little resistance from the pacesetter, rolling by and trotting home to score by three-and-three-quarter lengths in 1:55.

Raising Rusty (Stephane Pouliot) also passed Duke Lavictoire to finish second, with the ex-leader taking third.

BLACK TIE BASH REPLAY

Black Tie Bash is the winningest horse at the top Rideau trotting level this year with five victories in eight tries. The Isabelle Darveau-trained gelding is now 23-for-71 lifetime with $185,108 in earnings. Shepherd owns the five-year-old.

Also on the card, Best Honey Hanover (Art Major, Berube) reached $300,000 in earnings as she made her 150th start. The eight-year-old mare motored up late, gritting out a tough win off a first-over trip for career win number 58 in 1:53. She’s trained by Macy Cassell Smyth for Keith Cassell of Smiths Falls and is eight-for-25 this season.

BEST HONEY HANOVER REPLAY

Driver Guy Gagnon won four races on the night.

Racing returns to Rideau Carleton Raceway on Sunday, Jul. 30 at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink