"I thought she was all right for no more than she was up to in that qualifier [when she trotted in 1:55 on July 23]," said Pierce. "Bob [trainer Bob McIntosh] told me she going to get a lot better for the race. I had a lot of confidence in her. I raced her at Lexington and a couple other times last year and I really liked her. She beat the best of them a couple times. So I was kind of high on her coming into this race. I just kind of moseyed on back to the top. I didn't really have to chase her. She did it on her own. We no sooner got to the top and here comes Cat [Manzi with Lost Lady One] so I had to start her up again. I used her three times before the five-eighths, and then we had to hold them off to the wire."
Photo Finish Strip
Results Chart
Upsets continued in the tenth race, the $300,000 Breeders Crown Mare Pace, which went to 20-1 Always Cam, driven by David Miller and trained by William Zendt for Cam Land LLC of Washington, Pennsylvania.
Eternal Camnation relinquished the lead on the backside to 3-1 favorite Burning Point, who was, in turn, pressured by Loyal Opposition to a half in 52.4 and a three-quarters in 1:20.3, leaving it to Always Cam to slingshot past all of them for the length and three-quarter tally in 1:49.2, a Breeders Crown Mare Pace stakes record. The previous mark of 1:49.3 was set by Jay's Table in 1998 at the Meadowlands. Bunny Lake, the $2.5 million earner, got up for second and it was two and three-quarter lengths to Loyal Opposition in third.
"She really hasn't been the luckiest horse, for me anyway," said Miller of Always Cam. "She's gotten a lot stronger, matured a lot. I figured with the big field, I'd be out the whole way and I ended up being a lot closer. Wendy [assistant trainer Wendy Cameron] had her in perfect shape tonight. I just wanted to make sure I didn't get left first over. I wanted to make sure somebody was in front of me the whole way. I figured that would be our best shot, to follow cover up on the outside and it worked out. She felt good the last turn. She kicked home; she always gives a good effort. We got the jump on Bunny Lake. She was pacing strong through the stretch. I felt pretty confident 10 feet from the wire." The five-year-old daughter of Western Hanover has now banked $874,891.
