Still fighting the good fight at age 12, Elegant Emma ended up in the Cal-Expo winner’s circle last week for owners Rick and Marlene Thomas, trainer George Reider and pilot James Kennedy.

Elegant Emma, a New Zealand-bred distaffer, has earned her money the old-fashioned way, with $93,000 in her bank account and a 1:53.2 mark that was established at the California raceway four years ago. It almost seems like she’s been around forever.

“She’s a classy mare, standing only 14 hands high, but she races like a big girl wearing a 60-inch hobble,” Reider said. “When the Thomas’ first brought her to me, she had some internal problems that took a while to fix. At the barn, she’s just about as sweet a mare as can be, but on the track she’s a true competitor.”

Reider explained that the Elegant Emma/James Kennedy dynamic was slow to evolve.

“When James first started driving her, I don’t think he liked her that well. She can be hard to handle in the paddock and the post parade. After a while they got to know each other, though, and now he tells me he really enjoys driving her.”

While she is still eligible to race for two more years, George informed that Rick and Marlene will be sending Elegant Emma on to her next career.

“At age 12, the Thomas’ figure it’s time for the breeding shed and she’s going to Little Steven. I’m really going to miss this little mare when she leaves.”

(Cal-Expo)