Always A Virgin wins Cane Pace at Freehold
Brian Sears wasn't worried about the post position. As the harness driver saw it, he had a strong enough horse in Always A Virgin to win from anywhere.

WORLD WIDE RACING PHOTOS Brian Sears sits back and enjoys the ride as Always A Virgin cruises to the win at Labor Day Monday's Cane Pace Final at Freehold Raceway. With the win, Always A Virgin takes the first step toward a potential Triple Crown of harness racing, a feat only accomplished by 10 standardbreds since its inception in 1956.

So, even though his colt would start from the outside at post position eight for Labor Day Monday's $297,500 Cane Pace Final at Freehold Raceway, Sears remained confident.

"He's [Always A Virgin] such a dominant horse," Sears said.

Always A Virgin had proved that while winning the $99,156 Cane Pace elimination of Aug. 25 in a fast 1:51.3 from the front. In Monday's final, Southwind Lynx, who had received a bye from the elimination race for being the leading money of 2007 thanks to a win in the Meadowlands Pace among his victories, was in the field this time. But it mattered little to Sears and Always A Virgin. He employed a similar strategy to one that won the elimination race in capturing one of the sport's most prestigious races while equaling the Freehold Raceway track record for 3-yearold pacers, 1:51.1.

Sears took his colt to the front at the half-mile mark, and from there it was a race for second.

"I was close enough to the front early on to make a move, and everything worked out," said Sears.

Always A Virgin went by the half in 54.3 and three-quarters in 1:22.1.

Southwind Lynx, who had won two races with $1 million purses this year (Meadowlands Pace and Rooney), was second with Tim Tetrick in the bike. The show horse was Fresh Deck (George Brennan).

The 1:51.1 matched the 3-year-old track mark of Camelot Hall from 2004 and established a new Cane Pace stakes record.

For driver Sears and trainer Joe Holloway, this was the first-ever Cane win for both.

Always A Virgin has put his name alongside such legendary pacers as Bret Hanover (1965), Albatross (1971), Niatross (1980) and Cam Fella (1982), all previous Cane Pace winners. This was the 53rd running of the pace named for the late William H. Cane, a former Grand Circuit driver who founded Good Time Park in Goshen, N.Y., and purchased Yonkers Raceway in 1950, converting a thoroughbred track, Empire City Track to a harness racing venue.

As winner of the Cane, Always A Virgin is the only pacer with a chance to win the Triple Crown. The other two legs of the Pacing Triple Crown are the Little Brown Jug in Delaware, Ohio, on Sept. 20 and the Messenger Stakes on Oct. 27 at Yonkers Raceway.

There have been 10 standardbreds who have captured the Pacing Triple Crown since its inception in 1956.

It was a big stakes day at Freehold, with two other races carrying $100,000- plus purses.

The $144,325 Shady Daisy for 3-yearold filly pacers was won by Southwind Tempo, with Tetrick at the reins. This race produced another track-record-equaling time. Southwind Tempo's 1:53.0 matched the Freehold Raceway record for sophomore fillies first set last year by Xhilaration.

Truponder won the $125,000 Battle of Freehold for 2-year-old pacers with John Campbell in the bike.

On Friday, Cat Manzi and Yonkers Trot winner Green Day, won the $26,200 New Jersey Sire Stakes for 3-year-old trotting colts in 1:56.2.