EDMONTON – Champion-in-waiting Rico Walcott showed no signs of easing up even with the season nearly over, storming to victory in the feature Freedom of the City Stakes as he logged a triple on the penultimate day of racing at Northlands Park on Friday.
Walcott paired with hot favourite Eustacia to win the Freedom Of The City event over a mile on dirt, making all the running to beat the two-year-old fillies by two lengths in a time of one minute, 41.64 seconds.
The three-time defending champion also scored in Race 3 with 3-1 bet Keene on Demand and in Race 7 with 4-1 chance Holy Force.
He now has 138 wins at the western Canada oval, still ten short of his career-best tally of 148 set last season.
Scott Williams lies second on 68, while Barbadian rookie Damario Bynoe, in his first season of international racing, is tied for third with Ismael Mosqueira on 45 wins.
The victory was the third straight for Eustacia in the event and the 22nd added-money score of the season for Walcott. He has earnings of CAN$1.6 million (BDS$2.8 million).
In the Freedom Of The City in Race 9, Walcott broke Eustacia smartly and posted lazy fractions of 24.57 f
or the quarter and 50.51 for the half-mile, to lead by a length at the half-way mark.
The pair kicked on the last turn, brushing off challenges from She’s It Again and Sass n’ Brass, to dominate the stretch run. (CMC)
