Twice in the mile the strategy didn't work out, but that didn't prevent Bewareofthisaffair from closing fastest of all.
Accelerating some to the first-turn from post-one in the field of five for driver James Kennedy, the pair pushed the pace until yielding for the pocket after 3-16ths of a mile into a :29 opening quarter. The pocket, however, soon became the three-hole when the favorite Frankly Scarlett (Steve Wiseman) quarter-moved, thus putting Bewareofthisaffair one spot farther back at the 7-16ths mile marker into a :58.2 first-half. Did this change things for Kennedy?
"Now I knew I had to come first-up and obviously I would have rather had the pocket," said Kennedy. “With Frankly Scarlett on top and Sleigh Belle (Scott Cisco) in the two-hole, I wasn't really sure what my chances were."
With the field now midway through the final-turn, Kennedy tipped his charge out and soon was second-over to the three-quarter mile station. Surely this was good, or was it?
"When I pulled I was not trying to flush out Sleigh Belle, but Scotty (Cisco) came out and I had to actually grab a hold a little. I thought getting cover actually hurt me because I wanted the momentum, plus I thought that Sleigh Belle now had a good shot because I thought she'd get the run on Frankly Scarlett because Steve (Wiseman) was urging Frankly Scarlett, and I figured Sleigh Belle would go right on by."
Getting her earplugs popped past the three-quarters (1:28), then three-wide with 3-16ths of a mile to go, Bewareofthisaffair soon drifted out pretty good to the seven-eighths mile pole and appeared to cost herself about 1-1/2 lengths. Did this bother Kennedy?
"If you try to straighten her up, you're going to slow your momentum down. And since we were already in the straightaway, I was just letting her pace on. It didn't concern me at all that she was racing wide."
Now under a drive at mid-stretch and kicking in with a sixteenth of a mile to go, but while Frankly Scarlett was fighting back to reclaim the lead from Sleigh Belle, Kennedy could only pay attention to one thing.
"I really didn't see where anybody was as I was just concentrating on my own mare because she was a little bumpy - - so I was just trying to keep her together and drive on her at the same time - - and she responded very well. As it turns out though, I wasn't sure I had it until I crossed the wire."
Bred & owned by Wendi Wiener, and trained by Nathalie Tremblay, Bewareofthisaffair surged in deep-stretch to seal the deal with a one-length victory ($5.40), in 1:56.2. Majestic Lass (Luke Plano) came on very late to nab the place honors, and Frankly Scarlett finished just a neck farther back, in third.
"It was a tough race all the way around because there was a lot of movement and the horses in front of me I thought were better positioned on me, but my mare raced her heart out and won," concluded Kennedy, who had a driving triple on the card.
Live racing resumes at Cal Expo on Friday (March 9) & Saturday (March 10) at 6:00 p.m. (PST). On every live card, Cal Expo offers free parking & free admission after 4:30 p.m. On Friday, Cal Expo offers Happy Hour from 4:00-7:00 p.m. on which Beer; Well Drinks & Wine are offered at $4 each, while a Burger with fries is offered at $5.
Cal Expo currently offers a reduced 15 percent takeout rate on all Pick 4’s. Additionally, all Late Pick 4’s now come with an increased $20,000-guaranteed gross pool. Also, the Friday Late Pick 4 will offer a 0% takeout on all winning wagers made on track or at Twinspires.com, while the Saturday Late Pick 4 will be broadcast on TVG.
