In High Cotton showed off her late-kick strength to capture the $10,000 Fillies & Mares Open Handicap Pace at Fraser Downs on Thursday, April 3.
In a compact field of five, early drama unfolded when Grey Sea (John Abbott) fired off the gate but broke stride, relegating her to the back of the pack. Ima Beach Diva (David Hudon) inherited the early lead, setting an opening quarter of :26.4. However, the 4-5 favourite Born A Spy (Scott Knight) surged to the front after the first quarter, leading the field to a :56.2 half.
The order held steady until the three-quarters in 1:24.4, when In High Cotton and driver Kelly Hoerdt launched a first-over attack from fourth, with a recovered Grey Sea tagging along in tow. Turning for home, Born A Spy had no answer for the closing charge. In High Cotton powered past the pacesetter and drew clear to win in 1:54.2 by a neck. Grey Sea rallied impressively for second, while B On The Hunt (Philip Giesbrecht) rounded out the top three.
A seven-year-old daughter of Somebeachsomewhere out of Olivette Hanover, In High Cotton is trained by Kelly Hoerdt, who co-owns the mare with Blair and Erna Corbeil of Leduc, Alta. The victory was her first of the 2025 campaign and the 29th of her career, boosting her seasonal earnings to $11,700 and her lifetime bankroll to $284,417. She returned $8.60 to win.
To view Thursday's harness racing results, click the following link: Thursday Results - Fraser Downs.
(Standardbred Canada)