Ernesto Delacruz capitalizes in Century Preferred

With the absence of the powerhouse Shark Week, Ernesto Delacruz (Vertical Horizon) ended a string of three place finishes on Saturday (Nov. 18) with a harness racing victory in the Century Mile Preferred.

Jean-Francois Gagne gave Ernesto Delacruz a pocket ride behind Samba Beat (Phil Giesbrecht), who broke the track record for an aged pacing stallion last week. The splits went up in :27.1, :55.3, and 1:24, and Samba Beat entered the stretch on top by a length-and-a-half.

Ernesto Delacruz put him to a drive in mid-stretch and dispatched the pacesetter in the final eighth of a mile. No Collusion (Brandon Campbell) came with a late rush, but Ernesto Delacruz had pace to spare and scored by a half-length in a career-best 1:52.

No Collusion finished second. Keystone Tenacious (Blake Piwniuk) also charged and went from last to third.

ERNESTO DELACRUZ REPLAY

Ernesto Delacruz has played second fiddle to Shark Week for much of the season but has missed the board only twice in 20 starts. Gagne owns and trains the gelding, who won the Western Canada Pacing Derby, Moore’s Mile Breeders’ Stake, and his Alberta Sires Stakes Super Final last season. The four-year-old is 15-for-44 with $286,773 in career earnings.

Century Mile is set to race next on Friday, Nov. 24.

For complete race results, click here.

by Nicholas Barnsdale, for Harnesslink