Sing Like An Angel avenged her loss to last week's winner American Passion in the $11,000 Fillies & Mares Open Pace at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino as she prevailed this time out in a photo finish.
American Passion crossed to command from the outside post five over the inside starter and 3-5 favourite Sing Like An Angel ($3.20) off the gate. She led the field through a :28.1 opener and a rated 30-second breather. Tajmeallover then swept up from fourth down the backstretch and cleared to command before the 1:26 third quarter mark, but coming off the final turn, Sing Like An Angel edged out and was three-wide when American Passion pulled the pocket into the stretch. In the end, Sing Like An Angel prevailed in the three-across finish in 1:54.3 over runner-up American Passion and Tajmeallover.
The win was the second on the card amidst a streak of four straight for trainer/driver Travis Cullen, who shares ownership of the six-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight with his mother Jodie and partners Keith and Margaret Hannah. Sing Like An Angel won her second start of the year following a 2015 campaign in which she earned 17 victories in the Open ranks and $137,360 in purses.
Rocket Moma ($3), Counter Strike ($2.20) and L Dees Sunsetbeach ($2.80) were also part of Cullen's Saturday grand slam. Rocket Moma, co-owned by the Don Byrne Stables, held off the late-closers by a head in an $8,700 mares conditioned-claiming pace for her seventh straight victory, clocked in a lifetime-best 1:56.1. Counter Strike also took a new mark in his $7,000 assignment, advancing from the backfield to win by four and a half lengths in 1:55.3 for Cullen and Jerry Hagenaars. Cullen's sophomore filly L Dees Sunsetbeach is now four-for-four after retaking the lead early on in a non-winners of two or $10,000 lifetime event and cruising to a two-length victory in 2:00.1.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Century Downs.