Spaghetti Mouse does his best at nine furlongs

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Once again Spaghetti Mouse, who is trained by Ned Sams, proved he's an exceptional horse when he stretched out to 1 1/8 miles with a convincing win in the Grade 3, $107,850 Lieutenant Governors for the second straight year at Hastings on Sunday.

Spaghetti Mouse has now won 5 of his 6 starts going 1 1/8 miles. His winning time was 1:49.61.

Under a well-timed ride by Dave Wilson, Spaghetti Mouse came from slightly off the pace to post a two-length win over longshot Timeless Passion.

"He was set up perfectly for this race," said Wilson. "He worked really well going into the race and the extra distance suits him perfectly."

Although Forceful Intention, who finished third, easily handled Spaghetti Mouse in the John Longden 6000, Spaghetti Mouse was sent off as the favorite and paid $5.70.

"We were aiming for this race all spring," said Sams. "He's just a much better horse going this far and that's where the money is."

According to Sams, the next race for Spaghetti Mouse will be the B.C. Cup Classic on Aug. 6.

"Hopefully he can repeat there too," said Sams.

Spaghetti Mouse is owned by Nick and Pauline Felicella. He earned $66,365, which brings his career earnings to more than $620,000.