Lexus Witha View A jumped up in the final strides to capture the $6,500 Winners Over feature at First Tracks Cumberland on Saturday, Dec. 2, winning by a nose over betting favourite The Bird Dance N.
With half of the field tracing their origins to Down Under, the well-travelled group of top pacers made for an exciting race with the winner hanging in the balance until the very last moment.
At the start, driver Dan Deslandes put local fire engine The Bird Dance N right where he likes to be... on the front end. The 7-5 favourite was on the muscle at the :27.3 opening panel, with Ranaldi (Kevin Switzer Jr.) grabbing the garden spot and Dontbothermenone N (Ron Cushing) riding shotgun first-over from post eight.
Going to the :57.2 half-mile marker, the tempo had eased momentarily, allowing the outer flow to build with Bush Man N (Bruce Ranger) second-over at that point and Lexus Witha View A (Nick Graffam) locked in the box fourth.
As the field dashed down the backstretch for the final time, Dontbothermenone N was stalling, forcing Bush Man N three-wide. The Bird Dance N accelerated into a 1:27.1 third panel and gained some separation on the rest of the pack. That was all the daylight that Graffam needed with 9-1 longshot Lexus Witha View A as he tipped out of the three-hole and went charging first-over around the final turn.
Down the stretch, the leader was being tracked down with every stride, with the pursuer eliminating his 3-1/2-length head of the stretch deficit to a mere whisker. Lexus Witha View A scored in 1:57.1, getting up by a nose in the final stride over The Bird Dance N. Ranaldi hung on for third.
Trained and co-owned by Jamie Gerard with Strategic Racing Stable, the nine-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere paid $20.40 to win. It was the second win in a row for Lexus Witha View A, who now has six wins in 32 starts with $54,258 earned this season.
Graffam had a driving hat trick on the 12-race card, with Drew Campbell and Aaron Hall each scoring doubles.
(With files from First Tracks Cumberland)