A field of six distaffers at Cal Expo met up Friday night (December 17) in the $10,500 final of the Kaycess Doll over a 'sloppy' track, in which Bewareofthisaffair got the perfect trip to be the pocket rocket
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In advance of starting from post position four in the field of six, driver James Kennedy knew what he needed if he were to beat a tough foe.
"My plan was to give her a two-hole trip," said Kennedy. "If I could get it, I thought I had a very decent chance, at worst being second as I thought She Is So Glad [Rich Wojcio] could be too tough to beat."
Urged to leave and getting the lead a sixteenth of a mile past the start, Kennedy yielded an eighth of a mile into the race for the pocket into a :30.1 opening quarter.
Remaining in the garden spot that he wanted through a 1:02 first half, Kennedy got his cue to the midway point of the final turn to keep his horse on her toes when the pacesetting One Hot Tamale went on.
"When I saw that Rick [Plano] tried to get away with One Hot Tamale, I followed his lead to stay on his back by chasing after and popping the earplugs of my horse."
Responding and right back on the back of One Hot Tamale at the three-quarter mile pole, timed in 1:31.3, did Kennedy think his chances were good?
"I wasn't sure because I didn't think One Hot Tamale was close to being done, plus she had gotten an easy first-half. My horse, however, did feel good."
On the move to the top of the stretch, but faced with the fact that One Hot Tamale drew clear, Kennedy had reason to be worried.
"I thought One Hot Tamale was going to get away from me, so I pulled off Rick's back so my horse could see daylight. Once I did that she went on. For some reason she doesn't feel strong in a hole, but if there's no horse directly in front of her, which is why I pulled to the outside, then she goes on and that's what she did at mid-stretch. Once I got the lead, I was just hooting and hollering and hoping to get there, and she did."
Under a strong drive and surging to the lead at mid-stretch, there'd be no catching the four-year-old as she go on to win ($14.60) by 1-1/4-lengths. Proudly bred by owner Wendi Wiener, the Nathalie Tremblay-trained pupil stopped the timer at 2:00.3. She Is So Glad came on to finish in second, and One Hot Tamale finished 1-1/2-lengths farther back, in third.
"It was an awesome race because as it turns out I was able to beat She Is So Glad. My thanks goes out to Wendi Weiner and Nathalie Tremblay for having me drive her," finished Kennedy, who had four winners on the card.
(Cal Expo)