Haggin Oaks Highlights Closing Night Card At Cal Expo

There was a concern she may not be 100 per cent fit, and her first-quarter was backing that up. For the final three-quarters, however, Haggin Oaks was all business and defeated her male counterparts

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A mixture of conditioned and claiming pacers, racing for a purse of $3,400, were featured Saturday (June 18) on closing night of the winter-spring meet at Cal Expo, in which Haggin Oaks was the pocket rocket.

In advance of starting from the pole in the field of five, trainer James Kennedy was fairly optimistic, but had good reason not to be totally optimistic. "She hadn't raced in three weeks and I thought she might have been a little short," stated Kennedy. "But I still figured I'd be no worse than second because I wasn't going to be on the front regardless, and that's how she likes it."

With the field sent on their way and Western So (Scott Cisco) firing out, Kennedy knew what the plan was. "I was just waiting to see who was going to leave and then stand my ground to get the pocket."

In the pocket he wanted, Kennedy had to deal with his pre-race fitness fears when the first-quarter was rattled off in :27.2. "She was lackadaisical and struggling a little bit. I was just hoping she'd hang in there."

With an on the muscle Western So pacing a :27.3 second quarter into a blistering :55 first-half, Haggin Oaks, despite the blazing half, was not only right on the helmet of Cisco, but with Cisco leaning back to throttle the speed of his pacer, he had a close-up view above him of the nostrils of the lone lady in the race. "Once we straightened up, it was like she said it was time to race, I guess because in the first-quarter she was very lazy, but in the second-quarter she got right up on the bit. I was in awe of her because she was feeling so strong off the :55 half, which now had me very comfortable."

Pacing anxiously on the final-turn, Kennedy popped his charge out of the pocket past the midway point of the final-turn. "I was hoping to get away from Satire (Luke Plano) and knew from that point it was going to be a drive to the finish and whether I could hold on."

Gaining to the three-quarter mile station, timed in 1:23.3, the five-year-old soon took over the lead at the head of the lane while the 1-2 favourite Satire still had five-lengths to make up.

Now under a drive and on top by two and a half lengths at the seven-eighths mile marker, was Kennedy keeping a lookout for Satire? "I actually didn't see him until inside the final sixteenth of a mile. Once I saw him I yelled ,'Hold on mama,' and she did."

Racing all-out late, the daughter of Hi Ho Silverheels wouldn't be denied while scoring ($7.40) by three-quarters of one-length, in 1:53.2, a lifetime best. Satire had to settle for second, and Western So finished another two and a half lengths farther back, in third.

"She raced awesome and is a very, very beautiful mare. I'd like to thank her owners Shari Burns, Ferris Funk and Gerald Cimini, as I have in the past, for the opportunity to train and drive her,” finished a proud Kennedy.

Cal Expo is now dark for live harness racing until Friday, August 26, when the summer-fall-winter meet begins. Thoroughbred and mixed breed racing takes place at Cal Expo from July 14-24.

(Cal Expo)