by Ken Weingartner

Non Watermarked photos by LISA PHOTO

East Rutherford, NJ — Kapildeo Singh came to the Meadowlands as a kid, never imagining he might someday win one of the sport’s top events. But he got to experience that feeling Saturday (Aug. 3) as When Dovescry, co-owned by Singh, captured the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks for 3-year-old female trotters at the Big M.

When Dovescry, driven by Simon Allard, won the Hambletonian Oaks by two lengths over previously unbeaten Millies Possesion in 1:50.2. Asiago finished third.

“To be here as one of the owners, it’s just amazing,” said Singh, a 48-year-old Yorktown Heights, N.Y., resident who owns When Dovescry with the Bruce Soulsby-led Go Fast Stable, Yves Sarrazin and Lawrence Dumain. “It’s just awesome. I came here as a kid, 10 years old as a fan. We were reading the program and I learned about the breeding of horses. It’s a great game. I love it. This is the icing on the cake. To win the Hambo Oaks, it’s the best feeling.”

When Dovescry got away second behind 55-1 shot Southwind Casha, who went to the front in a :26.4 opening quarter mile. Allard guided When Dovescry to the front on the backstretch, hitting the half in :54.4, and then faced a first-over challenge from Millies Possesion as they reached three-quarters in 1:23.

Millies Possesion was unable to get to When Dovescry as Allard, clutching the last whip ever used by his late idol Herve Filion, crossed the finish line in front.

“It still had power for one more race,” Allard said about the whip, which he was given for the one-time use by Filion’s son Brandon. “When I stepped on the gas coming out of the last turn, I said, ‘I’ve still got something.’ That’s really good.”

Allard, who drove When Dovescry for his brother, trainer Rene Allard, said the Oaks triumph meant “everything.”

“This is the best place for big races, with a big crowd, and that’s what harness racing is supposed to be,” Allard said. “It’s just such a great feeling. Sometimes you win big races at other tracks where the crowd is not so big but here it is packed today. It’s the best drivers and the best horses in the country, it’s just everything.

“It makes me think when we started with a $500 horse. (When Dovescry) was a $200,000 yearling, that’s the most expensive yearling we ever bought. We got lucky, she made it, and she is what she was supposed to be.

“It’s very emotional today.”

When Dovescry, a daughter of Muscle Hill out of Cedar Dove, has won seven of 13 career races and earned $576,250. Her Oaks victory was her second in five races this season and followed a 1:51.3 score in her elimination last week.

“We babied her all year, ran her in some condition races, avoided some competition,” Singh said. “We just let her out last week and Rene said she was awesome this week, had the best week of training. We knew we had the best horse this week. I just thank God for this day.”