Though the year has changed with the sun rising in 2024, Shark Week made no changes to his race strategy as the six-year-old Vertical Horizon gelding won the $14,000 Preferred Handicap Pace at Century Mile from gate-to-wire on Saturday, Jan. 6 for his 16th straight triumph.
Despite his assigned outside post, Shark Week wasted little time in getting to the front of the pack in the featured pace. Mike Hennessy and the Rod Hennessy student maintained a 1-1/2-length cushion through panels in :26.2, :55.4 and 1:25.4. Down the lane, Ernesto Delacruz (J.F. Gagne) gave chase as a fierce challenge for the favourite. Both pacers set a last panel in :27, but Shark Week had enough of an advantage to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:52.4. Bonus Round (David Kelly) completed the triactor.
Shark Week ended 2023 with 20 wins on the year from 24 starts and $141,990 put away. On Saturday, Shark Week added another win to give him 41 career tallies and a career sum of $348,475 from 75 track appearances. Rod Hennessy co-owns Shark Week with Lorne Duffield.
Similar to his last 35 starts, the gelding was the designated bettors' choice. As such, he returned $2.80 to win.