Ernesto Delacruz followed a pocket trip before tipping out in the stretch and fending off a late charge to win the $14,000 Preferred Pace at Century Mile on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Driven by his trainee, Jean Francois Gagne and Ernesto Delacruz followed Samba Beat (Philip Giesbrecht) through panels in :27.1, :55.3, and 1:24 before they moved on the advance. They took command of the lead while No Collusion (Brandon Campbell) sprinted from the back of the back towards the front. Down to the wire, Ernesto Delacruz continued to the victory by a half length in 1:52. No Collusion took second and Keystone Tenacious (Blake Piwniuk) rounded out the top three.
The four-year-old gelded son of Vertical Horizon is owned by Gagne as he picked up his 15th career victory to go along with $287,773 in career earnings. Ernesto Delacruz paid $4.30 to win.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Century Mile.