Shirley, Blain, Bilodeau, Brown

There wasn’t much to win after Ron Bilodeau and Sam Shirley each won three races, but a dead heat in the last race saw two winners. The disqualification of the winner and a dead head for second resulted in two winners.Brooke Mellish, atop of the Butch McDonald trained Feu Too Many and John Van Loon and C. Phillips’ Our Hot Gal with Travis Wilkinson were bothered just before the wire by Lonilane. It was a roll coaster for Lisa Balsom who crossed the wire aboard Lonilane. It would have been Ms Balsom first winner as a jockey but unfortunately the interference call brought her number down.

It was quite the same in the training world. The affable Earl Blain had two winners and was nosed out for a third one. Blain won the second with Chukar Ridge’s Desert Time, took the third with Mel and Mark Recchi’s PC Knickerinatwist and just missed with Reno Commazetto’s Raise A Virgin. Sam Shirley was the winning rider.

Then it was Shirley again in the featured HBPA Sagebrush Derby winning with Prairie Star Stables’ Special Warrant. Special Warrant trained by Jim Brown was also the winner of the HBPA Derby at Osoyoos. Brown’s record on the circuit this year is three wins and three seconds in seven starts.


The other three races belonged to rockin Ronnie Bilodeau who now has 34 winners 9 ahead of Sam Shirley. Rockin’ Ronnie won the first with Bruce Scott’s Whos Smokin 109. The Shereen Hook trained 3 year filly was an easy two length winner. In the fourth Bilodeau nosed out Shirley when Mabanta, Markville and Antigua Stables’ Flying Manila. It was a game win as Flying Manila went head and head from the outside with Raise A Virgin.In the fifth, an allowance test at one mile, Clint Willson’s Rim Dancer moved well after the half for a one length score and Bilodeau’s third winner..