She was locked and loaded in her last. On this night, her pilot made sure that wasn't going to happen.
Winners-Over pacers, racing for a purse of $4,500, were featured at Cal Expo on Saturday night (December 3), on which Haggin Oaks presented one of her owners with a winning birthday gift.
Prior to starting from her assigned post-two in the field of five, trainer James Kennedy wanted no traffic issues.
"My thoughts going into the race was to go to the front and not let anybody take it from me," stated Kennedy. "I thought my chances were very good."
Getting the lead after a sixteenth of a mile, the five year-old paced an effortless :28.3 first-quarter, but with the dangerous Ivegotwhatuneed (Lemoyne Svendsen) in the pocket.
"Even though Ivegotwhatuneed was behind me, and I know he can close well off that type of trip - - the fact that I got to the quarter so easily, combined with a backstretch headwind, led me to believe that I could get a slow second-quarter that would probably help my chances."
Indeed getting away with a very soft :30.4 second-quarter, an optimistic Kennedy knew the pace of the race was playing into his hands.
"I didn't think they could catch me from there off a half in :59.2 because I knew it would be a sprint and she's a very good sprinter."
With the field now approaching the middle of the final-turn, Kennedy tapped the gas-pedal.
"Everything was going good at that point, so I asked her to go on a little bit and she did."
Getting a little bit of a notch let out and picking up speed, the only lady in the race reached the three-quarter mile station in 1:27.4, but with Ivegotwhatuneed now on the move.
"When Ivegotwhatuneed popped out of the pocket, I popped the earplugs and she stepped away from him. For that reason I didn't think she would let him get by us."
Drawing clear by 1-1/2 lengths with just under 3-16ths of a mile to go, Kennedy urged his mare once with an eighth of a mile to go and she took off even more.
"I looked over my shoulder at the seven-eighths and saw that no one was coming. I asked her for a little bit more and she was excellent and paced right through to the wire and had a ton of 'go' left, plus I even took a hold of her to the wire."
Getting two more urges with a little more than a sixteenth of a mile to go and home free, Kennedy put the whip away as the victory ($5.80) was a done deal. Owned by Shari Burns, Ferris Funk and the birthday boy Gerald Cimini, the well rated Haggin Oaks stopped the timer at 1:55. Myra's Hi Ho (Jim Lackey) had to settle for second as his three race win streak came to an end, and Ivegotwhatuneed finished another 1-1/4 lengths farther back, in third.
"She raced magnificent and it was a great birthday for Gerald Cimini," finished a proud Kennedy.
Live racing resumes at Cal Expo on Thursday (December 8) at 5:30 p.m. (PST) and continues on Friday (December 9) & Saturday (December 10) at 6:00 p.m. On Thursday and every live card, Cal Expo offers free admission, as well as free preferred & general parking after 4:30 p.m. Also on Thursday night from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Cal Expo offers a complete Lasagna dinner, which includes salad and bread, for just $3.00. Additionally on Thursday, beer & wine can be purchased for $3.00 each as well.
