Bryan Brook News Today

The duo of driver Mike and trainer Rod Hennessy captured plenty of Preferred pacing events at Century Downs in 2023 thanks to Horse of the Year Shark Week. With that star still to find a place to race this meet, Team Hennessy remains a threat in the track's top classes.

The following are the nominees for the first annual Westie Awards, recognizing the hard work and achievements of the top harness racing horse and horsepeople in Western Canada. I, Trey Colbeck, determined the nominees based on performance over the past year. Each category has one nominee from each province, and the winner will be announced

Mike Hennessy and Phil Giesbrecht recently both went over the $1-million mark for driving earnings this year, achieving the feat for the first time in their careers.

There was no shortage of action on the packed Saturday (Nov. 4) evening card at Century Mile with the ABSS Super Finals on tap as the main event with headliners featured by the longest win streak of the year extended by Shark Week and a $10 million career milestone earned by trainer Jamie Gray.

Harness racing driver Doug McNair, about 2,600 kilometres west of his home track, stole the show in the Alberta Sires Stakes Super Finals on Saturday (Nov. 4) at Century Mile as the Ontario-based reinsman won three of the four $75,000 events. Come On Santana (Santana Blue Chip) captured the first Super Final for two-year-old colts

Two weeks ago, on Oct. 14 at Century Mile, Byby Baby Byby and Outlawguns N Roses put on such a monumental performance in the Alberta Sires Stakes Starburst leg that it prompted Byby Baby Byby’s trainer Rod Hennessy to call it “one of the best miles paced in Western Canada by anyone.”

Planets aligned as Century Mile hosted the Western Canada Pacing Derby Eliminations, each worth a $14,000 purse prize, on Saturday (Oct. 14) evening with Blue Star Mercury and Over The Horizon winning their respective splits.

A densely packed card of 11 races marked the Saturday (Sept. 23) afternoon hosted at Century Mile with the Alberta Sires Stakes (ABSS) headlining the action. Amid the stakes action, Shark Week broke through to win his 10th race in a row while Virtual Horizon posted his 12th win in a row.

Century Downs hosted three eliminations for the Marquis, a race for three-year-old pacing fillies, and three eliminations for the Maverick, a race for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings, on its 12-race card Saturday afternoon (Sept. 10).

Century Downs hosted the four finals and four consolations for the Alberta Sires Stakes (ABSS) Super Finals on its 10-race card Sunday (Oct. 17) with nearly $300,000 in purses distributed.