SPAGHETTI MOUSE A THREE-PEAT WINNER OF $100,000 LT. GOVERNORS STAKES
Posted: July 1, 2008
Vancouver, B.C. – July 1/08 – ‘The Mouse’ in the house did it again. For a third consecutive year, Nick and Pauline Felicella’s Spaghetti Mouse won the $100,000 Lt. Governors Handicap before a huge and enthusiastic Canada Day crowd estimated at over 8,000 at Hastings Racecourse.
With a reputation of sometimes being a bit rambunctious, Spaghetti Mouse was on his best behaviour under a smooth ride by jockey Pedro Alvarado Tuesday afternoon. Known by an ever-growing legion of fans as, simply, ‘The Mouse’, the snappy six-year-old broke sharply, pressed the pace from the outside and gained the lead on the final turn to win driving in a final time of 1:49.62 over the 1 1/8-mile trip.
“He had his mind strictly on business today,” said trainer Lenore Daponte. “My heart was pounding in the late going but it all worked out well.”
The victory was worth $66,552 to boost his career earnings to over $740,000. “It was a pretty easy ride,” Alvarado said. “All I had to do was wait for the right opportunity; I had a lot of horse left at the finish.”
Spaghetti Mouse paid $5.50, $2.90, and $2.70. Lord Avalon, an invader from Emerald Downs, stalked the pace from three wide, rallied and closed for second.
The Honourable Wally Oppal, Attorney-General and Minister responsible for Multiculturalism for British Columbia, was a special Canada Day guest decorator and received almost as big an ovation as Spaghetti Mouse when the victory celebration took place in the winner’s circle.
There will be three $50,000 stakes features on next weekend’s card at Hastings: The Supernatural and Vancouver Sun on Saturday, followed by the Chris Loseth Handicap on Sunday. Racing begins at 1:25 p.m. on both days.
