CHALLENGE POLICY TACS

Trainer Bill Hoburg knew he had a great shot at taking the winner’s share of the $32,670.00US America Canada MBNA Challenge Championship for the second year in a row. Hoburg saddled five of the ten horses in the biggest Quarter Horse race in Canada. Dennie Hill’s Policy Tacs went straight front with jockey Cammie Papineau who this race last aboard Peg’s Lil Angel who was also trained by Hoberg.Hoburg of Kennewick Washington predicted that it would Policy Tacs winning and earning a berth in the Challenge Championship, the richest day in Quarter Horse racing. William Leech’s Cleat’s Image finished a less than a length back a nose ahead of another Hoburg trained horse Oh What A Memory.

It was the best day of racing at Kamloops this year with the year’s largest crowd on hand. Fans wagering $21,744, more than double the wager two weeks ago. Interior runners dominated the card except for the feature and the first race which was won by Happy N Bold. Trained Phil Hall of the coast, Happy N Bold is owned by Hall, Gary Fanning and Elton Gunther of Armstrong.

Happy N Bold was the first of two winners for leading rider Ron Bilodeau. Bilodeau won the last race of the day with Tom Hall’s R Ruby Rose who’s trained by Bill Smith. Both runners went to the front set a pressured pace a drew clear.

In the Ogopogo Stallion Stakes Trials, Kamloops rancher Roy Jackson’s homebred, Time The Magic was the fastest qualifier winning the second heat with a time 20:95. Trainer Ron Wilcox legged up jockey Laurina Windt and is aiming for his second straight Ogopogo Futurity . Buckey Stockwell’s Anticipation 109 was the winner of the first heat with a time 21:05 to take the second fastest qualifying time. Jockey Scott Sterr of Alberta was in the irons for an easy three length victory.

Bob Schmidt’s Bad Toda Bone fought for his win in the fourth. Jockey Sam Shirley was pressured by the hard knocking Titan Rocket but was 3/4 length the best at the wire. In the fifth it was Sam Irvin’s Kootenay Kid nosing out perennial bridesmaid Smitty.

The Queen Empress Stakes for fillies and mares was won by the late closing So Cool. Jockey Laurina Windt cruised past the field by five length on the Wade and Vivian Hardie owned mare who was the circuit champion in 1998.