Brushing to the front and continuing to carve out an exacting pace, Cuz She Can proved herself a never-in-doubt winner in Thursday's $32,000 Mares Open Handicap
pace at Harrah's Chester.
The five-year-old Cambest mare floated off the gate, tracking two-wide behind Fox Valley Topaz (David Miller) and Omen Hanover (Jim Pantaleano) before making her move to the front past a :26.3 first quarter. Once she cleared the front, driver Yannick Gingras had no worries about Cuz She Can from then on.
Cuz She Can led the field through middle fractions of :54.4 and 1:22 - a grueling :55.2 middle half - while facing absolutely no pressure. Cuz She Can sprinted away from the pocket-sitting Fox Valley Topaz in the last 300 yards, prevailing by a decisive 2-3/4 lengths in 1:50. Omen Hanover held third, while the first-over Ireneonthemove (Corey Callahan) flattened late, finishing fourth.
"Once she gets to the front, she's really hard to get past,” said driver Yannick Gingras. “Sometimes the problem is getting her there. She's more of a grinder than a sprinter, but once she gets to the lead, she's real tough. She's racing great right now. She's on top of her game, and she's been like that for a couple months."
Ron Burke trains Cuz She Can for Bulletproof Enterprises.
Earlier in the card, the Panhellenic Stable Corp.'s Dink Adoo set a track record for eleven-year-old trotters, just nosing out Master Begonia in a 1:53.4 mile. In doing so, the veteran trotter notched his 66th lifetime win.
(Harrah’s Chester)