Shake Away wins by neck

Shake Away, a 6-year-old mare by Dream Away, picked up her fifth win in eight starts this season when she captured the $26,000 Open Pace in 1:52.1 Tuesday night at Dover Downs.



Shake Away won a battle with Toy Dragon in the stretch drive after losing by just a nose to Toy Dragon in her previous start.



Trained, driven and owned by Jim King Jr., Shake Away started from post seven in the eight-horse field and was still stuck in the back of the field at the halfway mark, pacing seventh. She continued in the outer tier and gradually edged to the front, looming second at the top of the homestretch.



Shake Away has now earned more than $75,000 this season in her eight starts.



Shake Away broke a coffin bone after earning $200,000 as a 3 year old and taking a mark of 1:52 at the Meadowlands. She was then bred in 2004 and last March foaled a son of Western Hanover named Jebswesternshake. When the mare failed to get back in foal, she was put back in training.



"When I first got her she was missing the baby so she really liked being around somebody," recalls King. "And each day, more and more, she enjoyed someone's company. She trained down real good and easy and was very nice to be around. But as she started racing, with each start, she got to be more of a pain in the butt."



Shake Away's caretaker is Kate Moore, who also helped raise the filly. "She's like a little baby and has to have her own way," says Moore. "If she doesn't get everything first she throws a fit."



As long as she hits the wire first, no one will care about that.

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