Christine Cutting and Jim Marino’s Mateo ($3.90) asserted his dominance among Alberta-sired three-year-old pacing colts and geldings on Sunday afternoon (July 16) at Century Downs, making easy work of his eight rivals in the $54,200 Alberta Sires Stakes Marksman final.
Marino left strongly with the Blue Burner gelding from midfield, forcing Wabash Cannonball (Kelly Hoerdt) into the pocket through a :27.4 first quarter. After rating a :57 half mile, Mateo would steadily draw off from the field through the final three-eighths of the mile, leaving Wabash Cannonball well in his wake, evading a mild but sustained first-over bid from Senga Nitro (Ryan Grundy), and ultimately pulling clear to win by 11-1/4 lengths.
Outlaw Blue Ice (Michael Hennessy) escaped a blind switch on the far turn to narrowly reach second spot, Ima Dude (Brandon Campbell) rallied belatedly while wide of rivals to miss the runner-up spot by a neck, and Senga Nitro finished another half-head back in fourth after wearing down Wabash Cannonball in the second flight and levelling off in the straight.
The victory was Mateo’s fifth of the season in ten starts, and the ninth of his career. In June, the Justin Currie trainee also proved an open-length winner in the $55,400 Alberta Sires Stakes Plainsman final.
Marino and Currie also teamed up to capture the opener with Withflyingcolours ($2.90). In addition to Marino and Currie's respective doubles, Brandon Campbell and Kelly Hoerdt recorded driving and training doubles both on the nine-race card.
To view the harness racing results for Sunday at Century Downs, click the following link: Sunday Results – Century Downs.