by Mark Ratzky, publicity – Cal Expo Harness

Sacramento, CA — James Kennedy certainly had a way with the ladies last weekend, guiding his classy mare Haggin Oaks to a minor upset over One And Only and coming back a couple of hours later to account for a division of the opening leg of the Joe O’Brien series with his homebred Littlehannahsue.

Haggin Oaks, who carries the banner of Shari Burns, Ferris Funk and Gerald Cimini, has now banked $115,000 with a 1:53.2 mark and appears to be as tough as ever as a 7-year-old. Littlehannahsue is three years her junior and this daughter of Little Steven was spotting her O’Brien rivals quite a bit in the experience department as she was making only her seventh start.

“Littlehannahsue is the first horse I’ve ever bred,” Kennedy related. “I bought her dam (Sweet Sakra Sue) out of the Delaware sale with the intention of racing her, but that didn’t work out and I was lucky enough to get a breeding to Little Steven.

“She was actually ready to race sooner than last summer, but there was a paperwork problem and she was never nominated to the Sire Stakes races. I decided to just back off and wait.”

The bay miss has now posed for pictures following three of her six appearances and will look to up that impressive batting average in Saturday’s second leg of the O’Brien. In a division of last week’s opening leg, she was shuffled midway and then came rolling late from the outside to be up by a head over Little Anna Mae.

“She’d lost to Little Anna Mae in the race one back, but she’d missed almost four weeks going into that one and I knew she would be much tighter this time around,” Kennedy noted. “She’s getting better and better with every start and I’m looking forward to seeing what she can do.”The next step in that process begins Saturday.

Joe O’Brien Pacing Series Continues

The second leg of the Joe O’Brien Pacing series will go in two divisions once again on Saturday night at the Watch and Wager LLC meet at Cal Expo. Last week’s winners Littlehannahsue and Boot Scootin Bow head the marquee.

A 15-race program is on tap with a first post of 5:45 p.m. The O’Brien divisions are set as the 11th and 13th events on the evening with both Boot Scootin Bow and Littlehannahsue landing in the later contest.

Boot Scootin Bow was sent off the 3-2 choice in his opening leg division and was up by a head over Drawing Dead in a blanket finish that saw Whicadidja only a nose back in third. Kc C Carvalo owns, Tim Brown trains and Luke Plano will once again handle the lines.

Boot Scootin Bow had to settle for runner-up awards in his previous two miles, but put it all together to get the job done last time. He was unhurried early, came third over on the cover train turning for home and had the needed response when Plano asked the question to narrowly prevail.

Littlehannhsue captured the other division and likewise scored by a head over Little Anna Mae in the faster of the two races with a 1:57.1 final clocking. James Kennedy bred, owns, trains and drives the 4-year-old daughter of Little Steven and the Pacific Fella mare Sweet Sakra Sue. She will be looking to win for the fourth time in just seven starts.

Little Anna Mae and Hello Sevens get top billing in the first division. The former is a Little Steven mare who carries the banner of Denise Maier, Eileen Brodbar and Daniel Maier with Tim Maier driving and training. She just missed in a solid try last week, while Hello Sevens was fifth as the 6-5 favorite in that affair and could easily rebound in this spot with Dave Siegel in the bike. He co-owns the 4-year-old Dario Solares trainee with Robert Thronson and Greg Robinson.