Beach Moment doubles in London Preferred thriller

Beach Moment (Control The Moment) kept her nose in front in a four-horse harness racing photo finish to capture her second straight Fillies and Mares Preferred at The Raceway at the Western Fair District on Wednesday (Mar. 22).

The mare left her rivals flat-footed as she dashed out from post seven for Travis Henry to lead entering the first turn. She paced her first-half fractions in :27.1 and :56.3 then picked it up to three-quarters in 1:25.1 to keep first-over Casimir Swamp Girl (Jason Ryan) three lengths back and treading water.

Travis Cullen angled Born A Dragon three-wide, and Saulsbrook Jessie (Brett MacDonald) escaped the pocket entering the final turn. That opened room for three-hole-sitting Escape The House (Austin Sorrie), who caught the leader’s helmet as they rounded into the stretch.

Beach Moment straightened for home a length ahead as Saulsbrook Jessie bore down to her outside. Escape The House got through at the cones in mid-stretch, and Born A Dragon caught fire on the grandstand side. The three chasers closed in as they came to the wire, but Beach Moment survived by a nose to prevail in a four-across photo.

Escape The House took home the place cheque while Saulsbrook Jessie was third. Born A Dragon came out fourth.

BEACH MOMENT REPLAY

Beach Moment’s win was her second in three starts this year. The Blake Macintosh-trained mare is now 16-for-72 lifetime and has earned $173,750. St. George resident Macintosh co-owns the five-year-old with Hutt Racing Stable of Malvern.

Drivers Henry, Tyler Borth, and Garrett Rooney all scored triples on the evening. Rooney’s hat trick was in combination with trainer Cassidy Schneider – the pair teamed up to win the final three races of the evening. Hollys Treasure (State Treasurer) bagged the eighth in 1:56.4, State Of Treasure (State Treasurer) won in 1:57.2 in the ninth, and Payne For Pres (Rockin Image) took the finale in 1:56.3. All three were the horses’ first wins of the season.

Racing in London will be back on Friday, Mar. 24 at 5:50 p.m. EDT.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink