The official presiding judge was made to work overtime during an extraordinary afternoon of harness pony racing at the National Equestrian Centre on Vesey Street, with the opening five heats producing an unprecedented sequence of razor-thin finishes.
Action in the premier 1:04 flat and faster division set an electric tone from the outset in heat one. Kirista Rabain produced a storming drive from the sulky aboard Gold Rush to go wheel to wheel down the homestretch with DJ Burchall, who was partnering Belhaven Stables charge Double Time. Both pacers stopped the clock simultaneously in a blistering 1:03 and three fifths, leaving officials to scrutinise the replay before officially awarding the triumph to Rabain.
The photo-finish camera was called upon once again in heat two, which featured a combined field across the 1:07 to 1:09 and 1:12 and three fifths and slower brackets. Mitch Robinson in the bike of Kool The Fire found himself locked in an identical duel to the line with Darico Clarke at the lines of Google Me Twice. Both crossed the wire locked together in 1:13 and two fifths to share the spotlight, while Eilidh Redmond trailed home in third aboard Victorias Secret with a time of 1:15 and two fifths.
Deadlocks continued to dictate proceedings in heat three, contested within the 1:04 and one fifth to 1:05 and two fifths time bar. Rebounding from his narrow opening defeat, Flood engineered another masterclass in the sulky of Inwoods Realist, trading blows right to the wire against Jashaun Young and Holy Grail. With both combinations recording identical times of 1:07 and three fifths, the judge delivered the verdict in favour of Flood.
Top-tier pace drama resumed in heat four as the 1:04 flat and faster entries returned to the Vesey Street circuit. Maurice Raynor held his nerve under intense pressure behind Rockeyed Optimist, repelling a fierce late surge from Teshi Zuill and Somegoldsomewhere. Both clocked an impressive 1:05 and four fifths, with Raynor given the nod by the narrowest of margins to take the victory.
The breathless run of split decisions concluded in heat five, reserved for the 1:05 and three fifths to 1:06 and four fifths class. Keizaah Busby navigated Inwoods Progress through a gruelling duel against Liam Stones at the lines of Reel Desire. Matching each other stride for stride across the dirt to clock 1:12 and four fifths, it was Busby who earned the judge's final nod to wrap up an afternoon defined by breathtaking finishes.
Click Here to see the Full 2026 Harness Pony Racing Oct 18th 2026 Results
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