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Teenager Lopes claims first Free For All win

Tyler Lopes (left) in action at Vesey Street(File photo by Mark Tatem)

Teenage driver Tyler Lopes claimed a maiden win in the Free for All for the season during weekend harness racing.The 17-year-old Mount Saint Agnes student ran a 1:04/3 with Track Patrol in the final heat at Vesey Street on Saturday night, beating out top drivers Edward Roque and Joe Vieira along the way.“This is the first time driving in the Free for All this year and my expectations going into the race was to win,” Lopes told The Royal Gazette. “It’s a different feeling driving Free for All because it’s a lot faster and it’s good to get that breeze in the face again.“This was certainly a confidence boost towards my goal of winning the three-year-old Stake with my pony (Shadow Play) and keep progressing with him.”Track Patrol’s time was the colt’s fastest of the season to date.Lopes was also a heat winner in the 1:08/3-1:10/3 time bar with Shadow Play while his brother Brandon (15) had a win with Colonel’s Cyclone in the 1:10/4-1:12/4 time bar to cap a memorable night of racing for the family.“Brandon did really well,” Lopes added.The two teenagers are the grandsons of veteran driver David Lopes.Meanwhile, clocking the season’s fastest time was track record holder Big Red Machine in the Free for All.Colin Mello’s stud ran 1:02 flat to shave one fifth of a second off the previous fastest time he set last month.Moving up a time bar was the evergreen Johnny Paynter who guided Leo Simmons’ mare Ribbons and Pearls out of the 1:08/3-1:10/3 division after running a 1:08 flat.Getting a leg out of of the 1:10/4-1:12/4 time bar was Cleveland Maybury who ran a 1:10/3 with Skyway Rocket that lived up to its name.Vieira was the night’s biggest winner, claiming four wins on three different ponies.He had two wins in the 1:05-1:06 time bar with Cherokee Kibbitz and managed further wins in the Free for All and 1:08/3-1:10/3 time bar with Down Home Punch and Colonel’s Finest.Female driver Kirista Rabain also had a night to remember after picking up three wins with two different ponies. She had a win in the Free for All with Abbey’s Dream and swept both heats in the 1:15/1 and Slower with Inwood’s ET.Double heat winners included CJ Whited and Paynter. Whited had two wins in the 1:05-1:06 time bar with Black & Mild while Paynter’s two wins arrived with Sure Grand in the 1:06/1-1:07/1 time bar and Ribbons and Pearls.