CBC's held at Mohawk

Doonbeg capped a big night for odds-on favorites at the Canadian Breeders Championship finals for
3 year olds with a 1 1/4-length win over Eagle Luck in the Colt Pace event at Mohawk. The Camluck colt paid $3.30 to win for Jody Jamieson, trainer James Dean and local owners Clay Harland Horner and Scott Horner, and Torlando Farms Inc. of Florida.

It was a stakes-record time of 1:49.3 for Doonbeg. Armbro Balmoral cut a razor sharp mark of 1:50.1 in 2004.

"I took a lot of crap for calling the horse a special horse after last week's win, but what else can you call him now," Jamieson, who settled Doonbeg in mid-pack early, said. "He's a great horse."

The Ontario-bred, who now has five wins and only one bad race on his card this year (a 10th in the North America Cup final), will now be pointed to the Little Brown Jug at Delaware in September. He has career
earnings of $425,374.

Majestic Son was a never-in-doubt winner in the third CBC final, worth $175,534, for 3-year-old trotting colts. Trainer Mark Steacy drove his bay to the 5 3/4-length score over Was It A Dream for owner Majestic Son Stable in 1:53.

Majestic Son wrenched the lead away from early leader Dr. Robert Johns on the backstretch and it was over soon after. The Angus Hall ridgling posted splits of :55.4 and 1:24 en route to his fifth win of the season and 10th of his career.

"Once he cleared to the lead I was confident he could carry his speed right to the wire," Steacy said.

Three-year-old filly pacers went second on CBC night as $193,209 was up for grabs and a popular winner got the money. Red Star Biggirl was the heavy public choice and she delivered a gutsy three-quarter-length win over Luxury Seelster in a track record 1:50.3 for Mario Baillargeon, trainer Robert Merschback and British Columbian Robert Murphy.

"Red Star" went a gigantic trip for her 13th lifetime win. She was far back early through a clip of :25.4 but Baillargeon sent her toward the lead on the backstretch, sitting third after a half-mile in :54.2. At the top of the stretch, the Grinfromeartoear filly sat second to Southwind Madonna, who cut a punishing three-quarters of a mile in 1:21.1.

Red Star Biggirl seized the lead in deep stretch and hung on for her fourth straight tally and eighth of the campaign. She has not missed the board in 13 starts this year.

"I knew it would be tough," Baillargeon said. "There was a lot of speed in the race. I got lucky to pop in a hole at the five-eighths pole. I knew I wasn't real live coming off the turn."

Pure Ivory kicked off Saturday's Canadian Breeders Championships with a three-quarter-length victory over a late-charging Oaklea Odessa in the 3-year-old filly trotting event.

Steve Condren guided the Striking Sahbra bay to her fifth win of the season for trainer Brad Maxwell and the four-pronged ownership group of Jerry Vanboekel, Harry Rutherford and Christina Maxwell. Condren owns a piece of the Ontario-bred as well. The mile went in 1:55.3.

Condren settled Pure Ivory in mid-pack early through splits of :27.2 and :57.4. At the top of the stretch (1:26.4) she was prominent and strong in third, finally driving to the lead late. She tired in the
final strides, but the damage was done, holding off Oaklea Odessa to earn her 15th lifetime win.

"Brad has done a tremendous job with her," Condren said. "I felt confident about my filly. She had to work hard for the win tonight."

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