Mare just misses track mark

The temperature was 93 degrees, the pace was just right, and her trip was a perfect one, but while strong in victory, Benn's Fire fell just a tick short off the track record for older trotter mares with her 1:55.2 victory at Cal Expo Thursday night.

Starting from post-position three in the field of five as the second choice in the wagering at odds of 3/2, driver Bruce Clarke knew where he wanted to be positioned in the race, and who he figured to follow. He was right on the former, not on the latter.

"I didn't want to duck my horse tonight because I would have followed Irish Whiskey (Jim Lackey) and he doesn't keep up early," said Clarke. "So I thought I'd leave and get a two-hole trip and follow I'm Dam Goog (Ed Hensley), who I thought would be cutting it."

Leaving for an easy pocket entering the first-turn, Clarke got his wish for the pocket, but it wasn't behind I'm Dam Goog, it was behind Youngblood Hanover (Rocky Stidham), who trotted a first-quarter of a mile in a brisk :28 seconds. Was this a positive or a negative for Benn's Fire?

"It was good. When I saw the :28 first-quarter, I thought in my mind that I'd like to get the track record for aged trotting mares. Youngblood Hanover doesn't usually shut down when he goes a fast first-quarter of a mile. As a result, he usually goes a quick first-half mile, and I was liking it."

Clarke's assessment of the speedy Youngblood Hanover was correct, and Benn's Fire drafted along to a first-half mile, timed in :56.4. "At the half-mile pole, I was just sitting, waiting, and biding my time."

Waiting no longer with five-sixteenths to go, Clarke, to avoid any problems, tipped his charge out of the pocket to go first-over. "I didn't want to get caught in with her because I knew Youngblood Hanover would stop," he said.

Now racing first-over and gaining ground to the three-quarter mile pole while providing great cover to I'm Dam Goog, Clarke's thoughts centered on the three-quarter mile time, not on the fact that the 6-5 slight favorite, I'm Dam Goog, was right on his back.

"When I looked over at the three-quarter mile pole and saw the timer read 1:26.1, that's when I started pushing her trying to get the track record for aged trotting mares. I wasn't really concerned about anybody else tonight, I just wanted that track record."

Taking the lead like a bullet at the top of the lane, there was no doubt that Clarke had his mare in full throttle in quest for the afore mentioned track record. Opening up two lengths to the seven-eighths mile pole, Clarke, while trying to put Benn's Fire into the record book--also showed great horsemanship in the lane.

"I was urging her some, but I wasn't going to reach up and hit her hard to try and get the track record. She trotted all the way through the lane, she was very good. I think the mare really deserves the track record. She has been close a number of times, but just hasn't gotten it."

Proudly owned and well trained by Mark Anderson, the 9ine year-old won for the 51st time in her career.

« Back