Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Cinder Best & driver Mike Oosting took Maywood's Open Handicap
Pace for Fillies & Mares in 1:52.4 Thursday night.

July 14, 2005

Cinder Best Wins Filly & Mare Open Thursday
Cinder Best had an unexpected easy time winning Thursday night’s $15,500 Pacific Flight Open Handicap for fillies and mares at Maywood Park. With Mike Oosting at the lines, the 13-10 co-favorite took the lead early from post five. “I decided before the race that I would have to roll her tonight to have the best chance to beat Parklane Powerful,” explained Oosting. “If I ducked I probably would have been first up and we know Parklane Powerful can devour you if she’s on your back.”

Parkland Powerful was almost seven lengths off Cinder Best when the seven-year-old mare took the field to a :27.3 first quarter with Little Mischevious (Dave Magee) in the pocket and Nasti Nicki (Dean Magee) inside third. Cinder Best got away with a soft :29.3 second quarter with Parkland Powerful the first to pull and still six-plus lengths off the leader. Oosting then let out a notch on Cinder Best on the backside and she sped to a :27.3 third quarter with her rival now three-wide but not gaining any ground.

“We got a nice second quarter breather,” Oosting added. "Parklane Powerful was the horse too beat and I wanted to keep some racetrack between us and her. I was hoping Parkland Powerful would think she was never going to get there.” Mike was right. She didn’t. Cinder Best drew off and Parkland Powerful never fired, finishing fifth almost nine lengths behind the Seldon Ledford trained winning mare whose time of 1:52.4 was only a tick off the Maywood Park track record for an aged pacing mare. The pocket horse Little Mischevious took second, beaten four and three-quarter lengths. Ashley Mack was third, another three more lengths behind.

“Cinder Best has really good gate speed. And she’s sound now. Earlier she was too sore to be raced that way. She’s put in a lot of hard miles over the years, but she’s good now and she’s racing courageously.”

Cinder Best’s win was her fourth in 16 season starts for Napoleon, Ohio owners Thomas Gerdeman and Elaine Lauf. The game mare now has $777,538 in career earnings.