Three-time Horse of the Year Country By 123 broke on top and never relinquished the lead on his way to a third straight Alec Picov Memorial Championship Oct. 14 at Ajax Downs.
The big dark bay 6-year-old, owned and trained by Ruth Barbour of Hillsburgh, ON, led throughout the 440 yards to defeat Express Your Desire by half a length with Maryland Magic third and Had to Be Ivory fourth.
The time of :21.980 was good for a 96 speed index on a windy and cool afternoon.
Ridden by Ed Walton, Country Boy 123 exacted some revenge on 4-year-old Had to Be Ivory, who had defeated the champion in two races in May.
"To be honest I thought Had to Be Ivory would be in front of us and we'd have to chase him down, but I was in front doing it kind of easy," said Walton. "He was razor sharp, opening up on them early, that surprised me."
It was the fourth straight win in 2019 for Country Boy 123 who also won the Bradford Stakes at Indiana Downs in July. It was his fourth win in seven starts and in his career, Country Boy 123 has won 22 of 32 starts with earnings of over $347,000.
The 46th Picov Championship highlighted a holiday Thanksgiving card complete with a pumpkin giveaway for kids, a management-in-costume running race and the Headless Horseman charging down the stretch in mid-afternoon.
Ajax Downs wraps up its 50th anniversary season of Quarter Horse racing Monday, October 21 with a 12:55 post time. For more photos and information on Quarter Horse racing at Ajax Downs, visit the track's social media platforms on Twitter (@AjaxDowns), Instagram and Facebook and
http://www.ajaxdowns.com.
For more information on how you can own a Quarter Horse or a share in one, contact the Quarter Racing Owners of Ontario, Inc. at
http://www.qrooi.com.
Photos by Laurie Overton
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