An old country song by Jerry Reed proclaimed “when you’re
hot… you’re hot” and that is just what Tracys Song is, and has been, at
Monticello Raceway.
The 8 year old Astreos mare scored her 10th consecutive
victory on Monday afternoon, March 25th which equals the
Mighty M track record for most wins in-a-row by a mare. With that 1:58.2
triumph Tracys Song has regained sole command of the North American leaderboard
for most wins thus far this season.
However, according to her trainer Bob Lounsbury this win
came harder than the other nine .
“When I handed the lines to Bruce (Aldrich, Jr. her
driver) I said to him you’re not going to like her today, Lounsbury
related/ “She’s a little sore and warmed up bad.”
Lounsbury reasoned that the extra soreness in his pacing
mare was due to the fact that his veterinarian didn’t get a chance to work on
her this past week.
“I thought for sure her win streak would end today,”
Lounsbury said from the paddock judge’s phone after the race as driver Bruce
Aldrich Jr. joined him there. “ I can’t tell you how surprised I was when she
won again.”
“Unfortunately Bob was right when he told me she was sore,”
Aldrich concurred. “She was on one line bad and with the track a little deep it
was hard on her suspensories (suspensory ligaments). But she’s always been real
game and she showed it in spades today when she held on to win even
though she didn’t bring her ‘A Game’.
“When you drive enough horses you realize that winners find
a way to win while losers find a way to lose,” Aldrich added.
Once again, as had been her seasonal MO , Aldrich sent
Tracys Song to the lead and coasted along relatively unchallenged in the early
going. It wasn’t until the field straightened for home that Temptation Queen
and driver Zeke Parker made a real serious charge and although they got to
Tracys Song’s neck they couldn’t get by her and they had to settle for second
place. Eagle Hilarious was third for Kyle DiBenedetto.
Sent off as the 1-4 favorite in the $7500 claiming pace,
Tracys Song paid $2.50 for win.
Owner, Nancy Fugere, with a grin from ear to ear, joined in
for the winners circle presentation.
“I just can’t believe how good she has been and today she
showed real grit and how much she likes to win,” Fugere said. “She’s one tough
cookie.”
