Escape The Pace loving the trotting game

By Joshua Smith, Harness News Desk

Escape The Pace is living up to her name.

Trainer Glen Harwood was originally drawn to the filly at New Zealand Bloodstock Standardbred’s Weanling Sale because of her rich pacing pedigree and went to $5,000 to secure her out of Alabar Stud’s 2019 draft.

However, she showed no ambition to pace and has proven to be a more than capable trotter for the Clevedon horseman.

“I bought her at the weanling sale for my Dad and my wife,” Harwood said.

“She is from a good pacing breed and I have broken in a lot of the family, so I knew a lot of them. I thought that would be a good breed to get into and then she wouldn’t pace.

“She wouldn’t pace much in her first preparation and then in her second preparation she was no better. I thought I would give her one shot (at trotting) and she just kept on improving.

“She has always wanted to do it. She has had the right attitude otherwise she wouldn’t have been persevered with.”

The daughter of A Rocknroll Dance scored her second win from nine starts when victorious in The Alex Park Eatery Trot (2700m).

She was given the perfect trip in the trail by driver Scott Phelan and she was able to overpower pacemaker Diamant Bleu down the home straight to win by three quarters of a length.

“I was hoping for that sort of run last week in a lesser field. She got a good run tonight and went really well,” Harwood said.

The run was an improvement on last start where she broke at the start, but Harwood said she is still learning and will get better with time.

“She is only young and didn’t really know last start,” he said. “She was standing still at the start and was left flat-footed. It wasn’t really her fault and Tony said she trotted really well afterwards.

“I wasn’t really concerned with much except for getting away tonight.

“She probably needs another six months to develop in the paddock, she is a little bit weak. But I will keep ticking her along until she tells me any different.”