Fan favourite Cracklin Rosie delivered another flawless performance over the Clinton Raceway oval on Sunday to sweep the $63,400 Kin Pace Final in a stakes record time.
Starting from Post 3 with Guelph, Ont. resident Doug McNair in the race bike, Cracklin Rosie watched from mid-pack as second choice Rosy Outlook (James MacDonald) fired out to a :28.3 opening quarter. Once the fillies had sorted themselves out on the front, McNair sent Cracklin Rosie after the lead and the Badlands Hanover daughter controlled the tempo through the rest of the mile, ringing up a :57.2 half and a 1:26 three-quarters on her way to the 1:55 win. Elimination winner Killean Finale (Jason Ryan) closed well to be second and early pacesetter Rosy Outlook finished third.
“You knew going into the race you had to let them sort themselves out —- there was a couple of speedsters inside, we obviously didn’t want to get caught up in that —- so I think Doug’s game plan going into to it was to let them sort themselves out and go from there,” said trainer Ciaran Morrison. “And she handled that well enough, because two weeks in a row around Clinton pacing in 1:55 is pretty good going.”
The 1:55 clocking also tied the track record for three-year-old pacing fillies, set by Her Own Land in the 2014 Kin Pace eliminations, and extended Cracklin Rosie’s win streak to four races. In addition to her Kin Pace Elimination and the Final, the filly was a Gold Series winner at Mohawk Racetrack on June 4 and she captured an overnight event at Mohawk on June 17.
Harley resident Morrison conditions Cracklin Rosie for Aaron Waxman of Carlisle, Alan Alber of Thornhill, Frank Cirillo of Kleinburg and Terri Lynn McNair of Guelph, Ont. Since the group acquired Cracklin Rosie on May 21 she has banked $99,100 in five races and Morrison hopes she can continue to excel in the top tier of the provincial racing circuit.
“She’s very quiet around the barn and she’s very easy to get along with. She’s quiet to jog, but she’s got a lot of mental toughness, I find, during races. She knows when it’s time to go to work, and she’s got a big heart, and she does dig deep for sure,” says the trainer. “She’s the kind of filly that doesn’t know when she’s beat.
“She’s like everything you could ask for in a horse.”
Kin Pace winner Cracklin Rosie and her connections (Jessica Carnochan)
Next up on Cracklin Rosie’s schedule is the second OSS Gold leg for three-year-old pacing fillies on July 9 at Mohawk Racetrack.
The Kin Pace win capped off a five-win performance for McNair as the reinsman captured half the card, including a sweep of the last three races.
Live harness Racing returns to Clinton Raceway next Sunday, July 10 at 1:30 p.m, when the half-mile oval hosts Clinton Minor Baseball’s Day at the Races.
(Standardbred Canada with files from Clinton)
