The fifth race on the docket produced the fastest win time of the session, as the Dr. Ian Moore-trained and driven Percy Bluechip (Shadow Play—Advantest—Artsplace) paced to a front-end, four and a half-length victory in 1:57.2.
Percy Blue Chip, a bay filly, started from Post 5 and cut the quarter in :29.4. Write Me A Song (driven by Randy Waples) then came calling in the second quarter and went on to click off the opening half in 1:01 while overland. Write Me A Song went on to freeze the three quarters time in 1:30.3 while Percy Blue Chip and Dr. Moore were making a first-over move in the outside.
Fast forward to the head of the stretch and it was Percy Blue Chip that was in command, as she was out in front with a three-length lead. Continuing to come home with a head of steam behind her, Percy Blue Chip capped off the proceedings with a :26.3 final quarter.
Purchased for $110,000 at the 2016 Forest City Sale, Percy Blue Chip is owned by the Shadow Two Stable (of Puslinch, Ont.), James and Wilma MacKenzie (Ennismore, Ont.) and Hudson Standrdbrd Stb Inc. (Hudson, QC).
Percy Blue Chip is a full sister to $552,759 earner Arthur Bluechip, and is out of the same mare (Advantest) that produced the $1.59-million earner Kenneth J, by Bettors Delight.
In addition to his tally with Percy Blue Chip, Dr. Moore also hit the wire first in another of the session’s dashes, as he kicked off the proceedings in Race 1 with Jan (Rock N Roll Heaven – Armbro Savannah – Matts Scooter), who went wire to wire from Post 2 and recorded a four and a half-length victory in 1:58.
The fastest trotting mile of the morning was recorded by the Amy MacDonald-trained and Jody Jamieson-driven Cruising In Style (Muscle Mass—SOS Respect—Mr Lavec), who won in a laugher. After having started from Post 2, the brown colt made every pole a winning one (:29.4, :59.4, 1:30) and finished things up with a :28.4 final panel. The win time was 1:58.4 and the margin of victory was 18 lengths.
Cruising In Style is the fourth foal out of SOS Respect, who raced 26 times in Ontario and retired with just under $200,000 in career purses. Bred by Terry Devos (Langton, Ont.), Cruising In Style is owned by Thestable Cruising Group (Guelph, Ont.).
The win behind Cruising In Style was one of three for Jamieson. His other victories came aboard Mach Three filly Easy Three (1:58.2) and Chapter Seven filly Lima Novelty (2:00.3). The win was one of two for MacDonald, who also saw her Muscle Massive colt Lawmaker nail the wire first in 2:02.1 earlier on the card.