Kele Kele stole the show on Thursday, May 29 at Running Aces, posting a ln impressive gate-to-wire tally over a talented field of rivals in the $20,205 Mares Open Handicap Pace.
Trainer/driver Brady Jenson sent the daughter of So Surreal to a quick start from the outside post in the six-horse contest and they won an early battle with Twist Little Girl N (Rick Magee) and were well settled at the top as they posted the opening fraction in :28.
Kele Kele benefitted from a :29.1 breather in the second panel while Ideal Skies (Billy Mann) and Fillister Photo (Luke Plano) got rolling down the backside. Kele Kele was well in control at the 1:25 three-quarters checkpoint while Twist Little Girl N remained snug in the pocket and Ideal Skies was still trying to close in from first over.
In the homestretch Twist Little Girl N shook free from the pocket and came after the leader but Kele Kele kept going strong and she checked home a winner by three parts of a length in 1:53.2 for her second straight score. She returned $5 to win.
Majors Miracle (Dean Magee) had saved ground throughout and rallied late for the show dough.
The winner is owned by Jenson, in partnership with Ken Stauffer and Brady Anderson.
Blazin For Life (Brady Jenson, $43.20) posted a very sharp first-over effort to prevail in the $28,767 Minnesota-sired sophomore 'A' pace by a head over heavy favourite The Minnesota Kid (Plano) in 1:57.
The winner is a son of Wind Me Up, owned by Alan and Cheryl Sandbulte and is trained by Justin Anfinson.
Westernwisecracker (Brandon Jenson, $11.20) turned in a huge first-over effort to capture the $19,178 sophomore 'B' division in 1:58.3 over One Last Booyah (Svendsen) and High Country Baby (Plano) for his first lifetime win.
The winner is also owned under lease by Brandon Jenson and is trained by Brady Jenson.
There were also two $8,219 divisions contested in the first leg of the Burning Blaze pacing series, with Major Trip (Nick Roland, $10.20) capturing victory in 1:58.3 in the first split and Glittering Hope (Mann, $3.60) emerging victorious in the second division.
Drivers Brady Jenson and Nick Roland each scored doubles, while Jenson also had a training double.
Live harness racing returns to Running Aces on Sunday (June 1) for an 11-race program that will get underway at 6 p.m. (CDT) and will feature a carryover of $6,390.60 in the 50-cent Hi-5 wager in race four.
(Running Aces)