by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

East Rutherford, NJ — Control The Moment won the first jewel in Pacing’s Triple Crown, capturing Saturday’s $320,000 Cane Pace for 3-year-old pacers by one length over Manhattan Beach at the Meadowlands. JK Will Power was third, nosing out filly Pure Country for the show spot.

Lisa photo

Control The Moment did exactly that by winning the Cane Pace, the first leg of the pacing Triple Crown.

The race featured a field of 11 horses and was contested at 1-1/8 miles. The time was 2:02.4.

Control The Moment was sixth in the early part of the race, which saw Big Top Hanover lead to the first quarter in :25.4 before JK Will Power took the front and guided the field to the half in :54.2.

From there, JK Will Power and Manny engaged in a battle for the top spot, hitting three-quarters in 1:21.4. But Control The Moment made a big move on the final turn and took control for the victory. The time to the mile was 1:49.

Pure Country, who was trying to join Countess Adios as the only filly to win the Cane Pace, started the race from the trailing position and was eighth through the first half of the race.

Control The Moment, who was racing for the first time since winning the Meadowlands Pace on June 16, was driven by Brian Sears for trainer Brad Maxwell. The colt has won four of eight races this season and 12 of 17 in his career.

“He hadn’t raced in a couple weeks and they were racing aggressive enough early in the race,” winning driver Brian Sears said. “He was a little keyed up when he came third over, I had him three deep a little earlier than I wanted, but he’s a really nice horse and paced right to the wire.”

Asked about the extra eighth of a mile, Sears said, “With the time off, he probably wasn’t super tight but he was really fresh, anyway.”

Control The Moment, a son of Well Said-Life’sliltreasure, is owned by the Control The Moment Stable. He has earned $1.02 million lifetime.