Prairie Meadows: Cainam defies track bias to repeat in Cyclones

ALTOONA, Iowa -- Racing over a surface that had been kind to rail speed throughout the night, Cainam circled his five rivals after coming from far back to take the $75,000 Cyclones Handicap going away by 1 1/2 lengths Saturday night at Prairie Meadows.

Confidently handled by Prairie Meadows’s all-time winningest rider, Glenn Corbett, Cainam bided his time far behind a solid pace set by stablemate Launch Light. When given his cue, Cainam swept past favored Kate's Main Man and second-place finisher Wings of War, who had established a clear lead entering the stretch.

Bred by Linda M. Leech, owned by James R. Leech, and trained by Lynn Chleborad, Cainam earned $45,000 in winning the Cyclones for the second straight year. The 5-year-old Cainam now has lifetime earnings of $375,983.

Sent off as the third choice in the group of six Iowa-breds, Cainam returned $6.60 to win and, although taken in hand late, covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.45.