Cats Meow survived a close four-way photo to win the $80,000 final of the Damsel Pacing Series for three and four-year-old fillies and mares on Thursday night
at Woodbine Racetrack.
With Randy Waples in the driver’s seat, the four-year-old daughter of Goliath Bayama-Cataclysm got away second in the first quarter behind longshot Keepers Destiny who shot straight to the front from post 10.
Cats Meow made a quarter-pole move to the lead just after the :27.3 first panel before facing first-over pressure from A Special Lady just after the first half of :56 seconds. Cats Meow was able to fend off that challenge in the third quarter and led past the third station in 1:24.2.
As the field turned for home, Cats Meow had to dig deep to hold on with Yankeelicious and Keepers Destiny both looking for racing room along the inside and A Special Lady trying to re-rally in the closing strides.
Cats Meow found the wire in time with a 1:53.4 clocking, holding off Yankeelicious by a neck with Keepers Destiny a lapped-on third. The winner returned $11.90 in pulling off the mild upset and triggered a whopping Superfecta worth $18,124.95.
The victory was the second in eight starts this season for the John Hayes trainee who is owned by Alan Kirschenbaum of Burbank, California. The winner’s share of the purse boosted the homebred's career bankroll to just over $171,000.
(WEG)
To view Thursday’s results, click here.