Century Downs: Major Custard adds Super Final title to perfect season

Custard The Dragon gelding Major Custard improved his record in 2020 to 10-for-10 with a 1:55 4/5 victory over an off track in Saturday's C$50,000 Alberta Sires Stakes Super Final for 3-year-old male pacers at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino.

Driven by Brandon Campbell, Major Custard brushed from third to first after the 27 4/5 opening quarter. He continued on the front-end to a half in 56 4/5 and a three-quarters in 1:25 2/5, and a 30 2/5 final quarter got him to the wire 3 3/4 lengths ahead of Trip Hammer (David Kelly). Pipewrench Charlie (Phil Giesbrecht) came in third.

Michael Campbell trains Major Custard for owners J J J Stables and Jim Marino. Major Custard has an overall record of 15-2-0 from 17 appearances, and he has earned C$220,695. He paid $2.10 to win as the 1-9 favorite.

While he was second in that event, Kelly did have a pair of winners prior to that, guiding Dragon Energy, a gelded son of Custard The Dragon trained by Nathan Sobey for co-owners/breeders Kurt and Kathy Schmidt and co-owner Robert James, to a 1:56 1/5 victory in the Super Final for 2-year-old male pacers, and his own trainee Past Affair (by Vertical Horizon) to a 1:58 3/5 decision in the Super Final for sophomore pacing fillies. Kelly also co-owns her with Mike Dicks.

The Super Final for 2-year-old pacing fillies went to Burning Hot (Giesbrecht), who came to the outside from the pocket going to three-quarters and out-finished leader Custard Smoothie (Brandon Campbell) to prevail by a length and a quarter in 1:57 2/5. Trainer Rodney Starkewski also bred and co-owns Burning Hot, a daughter of Blue Burner, with Clauzette Byckal.