Three-year-old pacing filly Her Own Land and driver James MacDonald kicked off the Kin Pace elimination round on Sunday afternoon with a 1:55 track record performance at Clinton Raceway.
MacDonald also drove Skippin By to victory lane in another $8,000 elimination while driver Doug McNair doubled up with a pair of homebred fillies Can Art and Born To Dream.
With the inside post advantage in the afternoon's opener, favourite Her Own Land set up shop on the front end and carved out panels of :27.4, :57.4 and 1:26.2 before holding off the late-rallying Shadows Wonder (Trevor Henry) for the half-length victory. Haute Couture (Alfie Carroll) finished seven and a half lengths behind in third.
Fresh off a career-best 1:54 victory in her last start in the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots at Mohawk Racetrack on June 19, Her Own Land now has two wins in six starts this year. She is trained by David Menary and owned by Hutt Racing Stable of Paoli, Pennsylvania. Her Own Land was just a $2,000 Canadian Yearling Sale purchase, who now boasts $27,660 in purses and is the favourite heading into next weekend's $65,800 stake final.
Her Own Land, a daughter of Blissfull Hall out of Her Own Art, shaved two-fifths of a second off the former track record for three-year-old pacing fillies, which was set by 2009 Kin Pace champion Quiteasassybanana in her elimination.
Skippin By also bested Quiteasassybanana's former mark with a 1:55.1 romp in her elimination for MacDonald and trainer Rod Boyd.
Leaving from post four, the popular Shadow Play-Southern Magnolia filly took command past the :27.4 opening quarter and set middle fractions of :56.4 and 1:25.4 en route to a seven length victory. Justabit Mean (Trevor Henry) edged out Always Sunday (Nick Steward) for the runner-up honours.
Owned by Wall Bros Stable of Marion, Ohio and Bruce Soulsby of Powell, Ohio, Skippin By also recorded her second win in six outings this year. She was a $5,000 Lexington Select Yearling Sale purchase and has banked $74,448 in purses so far in her young career.
McNair scored his first elimination win with his father Gregg's trainee, Can Art. Grabbing the lead from the inside post position, she fought off Missevil (Bruce Richardson) when challenged at the half-mile mark and drew clear to win in 1:56.2. Missevil held on for second over An Angel Shes Not (Trevor Henry). The race fractions were :28.3, :57.4 and 1:26.4.
Owned and bred by Robert Chapple of Chatham, Ont., the Artistic Fella-Canadette filly is also two-for-six in her sophomore year to boost her career bankroll to $45,434.
In the final elimination, Born To Dream left from post three and rebuffed a mid-mile challenge from the favoured inside starter, Artful Impulse (Trevor Henry), en route to a five and three-quarter length victory in 1:56.4. The Tony O'Sullivan trainee, who was on top through fractions of :30, :59.4 and 1:27.4, earned her first win of the season in seven starts. Artful Impulse settled for second while Mary Michelle (Alfie Carroll) finished over 15 lengths behind in third.
A winner of $22,976 in her career, the Camluck-Happy Dreamer filly is owned and bred by Lomangino Standardbreds of Tinton Falls, New Jersey.
The Kin Pace is for Ontario-sired three-year-old pacing fillies in 2014 that are non-winners of $50,000 in 2013. The final will take place next Sunday, July 6 with the field lining up as follows:
1. Her Own Land
2. Shadows Wonder
3. Missevil
4. Can Art
5. Skippin By
6. Artful Impulse
7. Born To Dream
8. Justabit Mean
AE1. Haute Couture
AE2. An Angel Shes Not