One More Laugh held on in a photo finish to end his three-year-old season on a winning note in the $172,000 Cleveland Classic Saturday night amidst the flurries at Northfield Park
.
With the snow furiously flying for the 11th race, One More Laugh and driver Tim Tetrick left alertly from Post 2 to make the lead and reached the opening quarter in :26.3.
While One More Laugh took a second quarter breather, Jackets Required (David Miller) launched his attack from fourth en route to the half in :55.1 and went head-to-head with the leader past three-quarters in 1:23.1.
One More Laugh dug in and shook off that rival only to be faced with another challenge from Valentino (Aaron Merriman), who snuck up the rail and nearly nipped the double millionaire at the wire. One More Laugh managed to hold on for the narrow victory in 1:52.1. Jackets Required finished third and Aracache Hanover (Doug McNair) was fourth.
"The weather has definitely changed here [in the last 15 minutes] with a lot of snow and the wind is blowing," noted Tetrick in the winner's circle. "A lot of these horses aren't used to racing in these kinds of conditions -- they're mostly summer horses -- and it had to effect some of them.
"[One More Laugh] left out of there good. There were two or three of them leaving and I didn't want to get in a bad spot and I just went ahead and let him get to the front," explained Tetrick. "It was a little faster than I thought we'd have to go but I got a nice breather, but then they came right at me down the backside. David's horse raced really well and almost cleared me down the backside. My horse dug in and then the horse off the rail, Valentino, raced really good and I thought he was going to get me there late but my horse dug in to win."
One More Laugh paid $2.60 to win as the 1-5 favourite in the last start of his sophomore campaign.
"This will be it," confirmed Tetrick. "He'll go out and have some pasture time and be back next year to battle all the aged stake horses.
"I think he's only going to get better. He's been at every dance this year and he's as good now as he's been all year. He's just tough. These are really strong conditions so that's a good mile tonight."
The gelded son of McArdle-Fancy Creek Funny has won nine times in 20 starts this year while earning $1.52 million for trainer Ray Schnittker, who shares ownership with Creative Racing Stable Co. of Central Islip and Jerry Silva of Long Beach, New York. This season, One More Laugh has earned victories in the Rooney, Meadowlands Pace, Pennsylvania Sires Stakes, Cane Pace, Bluegrass Series and American National. His career bankroll sits at $2.1 million.
"Rock N Roll Heaven is probably one of the best three-year-old pacing colts I've ever seen, if not the best, and my colt beat him a couple times and it's been a great year for both colts," added Tetrick.