13yo trotting mare keeps on going

One of the most notable wins on the Saturday night (Aug 20) harness racing program at Running Aces was that of the 13 year-old Trotting mare One Bad Cookie (by One Bad Boy), who picked up her second win of the season in a nice $5,500 conditioned event.

It was no speed record or anything of that nature, but it was immensely impressive for a different reason.

One Bad Cookie has raced in Minnesota every year of her career, making her very first lifetime start as a two year old at the Cannon Falls fair in 2005, 4 years before Running Aces held it’s first-ever race in 2008. Since then, she has not missed a season at Running Aces during its’ 9 year history, perhaps the only horse to have started here every year since the track opened.

During this time she has accumulated 8 wins, 17 seconds, and 32 thirds and $69,340 with a mark of 2:00.0 taken right here at Running Aces in 2012 at age 9.

She actually has a very good chance to register her best season yet, at age 13.

These are not world records by any means, but to true Harness Racing fans these are some of the best stories in the game, a nice trotting mare who keeps on going strong at age 13, and hasn’t missed a season of local action ever. She has done all of this with one owner, Wendy Haberberg, who in fact has also trained her throughout her career and even drove her in most of her early starts, and she was bred by another local horseman Dave Carter.

Tonight One Bad Cookie was quick off the gate from post 5 for Driver Rick Magee, then yielded for the pocket, and later wound up third along the pylons before being angled out in the stretch by Magee, that’s when “Cookie” began to strut her stuff and charge by her rivals to post a ¾ length tally in 2:01.1 over a surface rated sloppy. She pulled off a 9-1 upset ($20.20) in the mile, while bringing a smile to many on this night, including her proud owner, all those true local fans, and of course all those holding the winning tickets on the good old 13 year old mare.

The $11,000 open Handicap Trot was the featured event, and it would be another feather in the cap for Flameon (Dean Magee) in the top Trot this week, as he posted his 9th win of the season in 16 starts, trotting in 1:57.4 tonight to out-kick Big Expense (Mooney Svendsen) and Banker Volo (Luke Plano). Flameon ($8.00) is owned and trained by Mark Anderson.

In The $8,500 Minnesota-Sired filly pace tonight it would be another sharp winning effort by Look Again Eda (Rick Magee), her second win in a row, and 5th lifetime tally in 9 starts. The David Flynn trainee was sharp off the gate from post 5 and saved ground until the stretch, where she was charging hard to the wire to just defeat the front-runner American Dancer (Luke Plano) by a head and fast closing Fancy Little Girl (Dean Magee) who was also just a neck back in third in the 1:57.0 mile. Look Again Eda paid $5.20 to her backers. She is owned by Ira Bontreger.

The $8,500 Minnesota-Sired colt & geldings pace went to Stuckey Dote ($4.20) who did not disappoint as the favorite with Driver Jim Marino in the bike, he got away third from post 3 and made his move past the 3/4 pole, and never looked back from there, comfortably holding off a late charge from Cyrax (Brian Detgen) with pace-setter Freedom Reigns (Tim Maier) checking in third. Stuckey Dote registered a ¾ length win in 1:55.1 for Owner/Trainer Merlin Van Otterloo.

Drivers Rick Magee, Dean Magee, and Jim Marino all posted the triple/triple this evening (each winning 3 races on the card).

By Darin Gagne, Running Aces Track Announcer