Century Downs: Two stakes races featured on holiday matinee program

Three-year-old pacers of both sexes competed in six-figure stakes events as part of the Civic Holiday program on Monday afternoon at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino, which is located near Calgary, Alberta.

First up were the fillies going after a purse of C$125,000 in the Gord and Illa Rumpel Memorial, and it would be 21-1 shot Stash The Cookies winning in 1:55 2/5. Driven by Michael Hennessy, Stash The Cookies landed in the pocket and followed Rockin Mystery (David Kelly) through stations of 28, 56 3/5, and 1:25 3/5. Rockin Mystery turned for home first, but she couldn't finish it off, with Stash The Cookies getting up for the victory by half a length. Cayley Skye (James Jungquist) came in third at 97-1.

Stash The Cookies is a daughter of Sunfire Blue Chip, and she is co-owned by trainer Rod Hennessy in partnership with Lorne Duffield. This was her seventh career victory, and she has now earned C$99,133. She paid $44.70 to win.

Colts and geldings competed in the Ralph Klein Memorial, which was conducted with elimination heats and then the same-day C$117,490 final. Outlawgrabbingears (Paul Davies) and Outlaw Gunsablazin (Phil Giesbrecht) won the two C$10,000 eliminations, and Outlawgrabbingears was the favorite from the rail in the final.

Davies sent his charge through from the pole position to the front, but he was hounded by a parked-out Go Nine O (Kelly Hoerdt) at the 28 1/5 opening quarter and 55 2/5 half, and the pressure kept up to the 1:24 1/5 three-quarters as the public choice was head-and-head at that time with Kneedeep N Custard (Michael Hennessy), who had swung three-wide from second-over to take over the first-up position.

On the last turn the duel between the top two continued, but Crackle N Burn (Giesbrecht) went three-wide from second-over and Rockin N Talkin (Brandon Campbell) fanned out four-wide from third-over, and in the lane it was Rockin N Talkin who prevailed as he went on to win by a length in 1:54 2/5. Outlaw Gunsablazin (Jamie Gray), who got pinned in along the inside until the lane, angled out and rallied for second, with Crackle N Burn third.

Amy Henry trains Rockin N Talkin, a gelding by Custard The Dragon, for owners J J J Stables and Jim Marino. Rockin N Talkin is now a six-time winner in his life, and he pushed his bankroll to C$116,320. He was sent off at 5-1 in the final after finishing second to Outlawgrabbingears in his elimination and returned $12.80 to win.