Good Things happened in Apaches Fame

It might have been Friday the 13th, but the news evidently didn't reach a colt named Its A Good Thing, who paced to a 1-1/4 length victory in the C$20,000 second leg of the Apaches Fame Series at Woodbine.

Last week's opening round winner, Herestopatrick, set the early pace in the sequel, carving out fractions of :27.1, :56.2, and 1:24.2 under the guidance of Luc Ouellette. Its A Good Thing (Randy Waples) rode the pocket through much of the mile, with Mr Terror (Mark MacDonald) holding position in third despite getting steppy on several occasions.

As the field entered the stretch, Herestopatrick was still maintaining his lead, but the gelding was losing steam. Waples pounced with Its A Good Thing, moving him out from cover and accelerating to the lead in a heartbeat. The pair crossed the wire in 1:52.2, nearly two full seconds better than Its A Good Thing's previous lifetime mark. Favored Midnite Romp (Rick Zeron) came from well off the pace to grab the place position, and Mr Terror recovered from a brief break in stride to secure the show spot. A tired Herestopatrick held on for fourth.

Its A Good Thing, a 3-year-old homebred son of Western Maverick is trained and co-owned by O'Brien Award-winning trainer Bob McIntosh, in partnership with Michael Kohler and Dwight Stacey. This was his fifth win in six starts this season and boosted his bankroll past the C$40,000 mark.

The C$47,000 (est.) final of the Apaches Fame for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings is slated for next Friday, March 20, at Woodbine.(WEG)