Clippity Cop won by a staggering 84 lengths in one of the most unbelievable races of the year

The filly dominated Our Last Penny in the R. C. Anderson Stakes at Assiniboia Downs, an event that was reduced to a two-horse match race and run without wagering. Although the runner-up took nearly 17 seconds longer to cross the wire, she still walked away with a lucrative payout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpJn-6mvGas

WINNIPEG, Canada (Special for Turf Diario).— There are non-contest races and short-priced favorites. And then there is what took place on Monday night in the R. C. Anderson Stakes at Assiniboia Downs, where Clippity Copoutclassed Our Last Penny, her sole competitor, by an astounding margin of 84 lengths.

The backstory behind the result goes a long way toward explaining such an anomaly. The contest, held over 1,600 meters with a purse of CAN$ 40,000, was restricted to 3-year-old fillies bred in Manitoba or Saskatchewan—two provinces that combined produced barely 50 foals in that crop.

Originally, 3 fillies were entered, but a veterinary scratch pared the field down to just a pair. Under normal circumstances, a race drawing so few runners might be postponed or canceled outright, but the R. C. Anderson was part of the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (CTHS) stakes program for nominated horses, with the purse money already raised through nominating fees. In fact, even with a single starter, the race would have been conducted as a walkover.

The presence of Our Last Penny also carried its own intrigue. Her connections paid a late supplemental nomination fee equivalent to 10 percent of the purse—CAN$ 4,000—to enter her. Since second-place money guaranteed CAN$ 8,000, she merely had to complete the course to double that investment.

Of course, the past performances suggested the clash would be anything but competitive. Clippity Cop, a daughter of Vengeful Wildcat, had won on debut and previously faced Our Last Penny on July 15. That afternoon, she finished second—though she was later disqualified—while her rival trailed home last of 6, beaten 44 lengths by the winner.

Our Last Penny raced again on August 11 with little improvement, finishing tenth and last in a maiden claiming event, this time 48 1/2 lengths adrift.

Given the setup, Monday’s feature was run without wagering, avoiding what almost certainly would have been a minus pool due to the overwhelming volume of money that would have backed Clippity Cop.

Through the opening strides, both runners stayed relatively close, but the illusion of a contest was short-lived. With jockey Javaniel Patterson virtually motionless in the irons, Clippity Cop began to pull away after setting pedestrian early fractions of 25s66/100 and 52s24/100.

By the quarter pole, the lead had ballooned to 25 lengths, and from there the margin turned into a chasm. Pattersonnever picked up the whip, barely moving his hands near the finish to keep his mount focused.

Clippity Cop crossed the wire in 1m48s92/100, stopping the clock a staggering 84 lengths clear of Our Last Penny, who required nearly 17 additional seconds to traverse the distance.

The winner collected CAN$ 24,000, boosting her record to two wins from four starts. Our Last Penny, meanwhile, banked the CAN$ 8,000 allocated for second place.

In the end, everyone got what they came for—even if it meant staging one of the strangest and most lopsided races in recent memory.