There was no shortage of stakes action on Saturday, May 4 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with a pair of SBOA Colt Pace eliminations and three Canadian Graduate Series finals.
In the first $25,000 SBOA Colt Pace elimination, Funtime Bayama ($3.20) delivered for his supporters with a sizzling 1:51.2 mile, well in hand for driver Sylvain Filion, punctuated by a :25.4 final quarter. Unrivaled Hanover (Jonathan Drury) showed solid late speed to finish second, with Storm Shadow (Bob McClure), Best Night Ever (Louis-Philippe Roy) and Do Better also advancing to next week's final.
Richard Moreau handles the training on Funtime Bayama (Hes Watching - Tymal Sugrbabydoll) for breeder - owner Bayama Farms of Saint-Andre-D'Argenteuil, Que. He's yet to miss the top three in his career, sporting a 5-2-1 summary from eight appearances, and the win pushed his earnings over the quarter million mark.
Enforcer ($18.40) showed his toughness in the second $25,000 elimination with a wire-to-wire effort in 1:54. Doug McNair engineered the winning trip, getting a soft middle half of :59.2, to help stave off Stonebridge Thrill (Tyler Borth) and Wikipedia (Roy) by a length. Always A Thrill (McClure) and Four By Four (Filion) rounded out the top five.
Gregg McNair trains Enforcer (Big Jim - Rough N Ready) for Aaron Waxman of Carlisle, Ont., Alan Alber of Thornhill, Ont. and David Jarvis of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. The win for Enforcer was his third career in 10 attempts, lifting his purses accrued to more than $106,000.
The $127,000 SBOA Colt Pace is set for Saturday, May 11 at Mohawk, to be contested along with the $141,500 SBOA Filly Pace, $137,500 SBOA Filly Trot, and $124,000 SBOA Colt Trot. Eliminations for the filly events were contested on Friday.
Team McNair also connected in the first Canadian Graduate Series final, winning the $81,500 Trot with Osceola.
After Passarino (Filion) fronted the field of six through a :27.4 opener and :56.4 half, Osceola vacated the pocket just before the third station as Tuscan Prince (Roy) advanced first over. Straightening for home after a 1:25.1 third quarter, Osceola turned on his afterburners and sprinted away form his five foes. A :27.3 final panel provided a life's best 1:52.4 mile, with Ghostly Casper (Borth) three lengths in arrears. Hasty Bid (J. MacDonald) completed the top trio.
Sent off as the close to even money choice, Osceola returned $4.10 to win. The four-year-old son of Muscle Mass - Armbro Exquisite is owned by Gregg McNair, Willow Oak Ranch of Rogersville, Tenn. and Paul Hawman of Collingwood, Ont. The win, his eighth lifetime, brought him just shy of the half million dollar mark in lifetime earnings.
Talk Curdy To Me hadn't connected in the Graduate legs since the first week, but that didn't prevent the public from sending the David Menary trainee off as the clear choice in the $81,500 final for pacing mares.
The advantage appeared to be in the court of Powder Play (Jody Jamieson) after a :27.3 opening split and :57 half. James MacDonald right-lined Talk Curdy To me out from third approaching the far turn, and engaged the pacesetting Powder Play through a 1:24.2 third quarter. Those two mares traded blows and matched strides through midstretch, but Talk Curdy To Me had things all her own 'whey' approaching the wire and won by a length and a half in 1:51.1. Powder Play stayed for second, while Mist Amber (Roy) rallied for show dough.
Owned by Pollack Racing LLC of Venetia, Pa., Talk Curdy To Me (Betterthancheddar - Keepers Destiny) now sports 10 career victories and a 10-8-6 summary from 32 starts with $261,000 in earnings. She paid $4.20 to win.
No Control ($3.90) kept the parade of Canadian Graduate favourites in tact, winning the $80,000 final for male pacers in a romp.
Sylvain Filion sent the 4-5 shot out for command from post six and let the pacer motor on top through fractions of :27.2, :56.4 and 1:24 before a :26.2 closer sealed the deal in a lifetime best 1:50.2. Longshots completed the top trio after Write Me A Rose (J. MacDonald) and Whatchulookin At (McNair) hooked wheels at the head of the lane, taking each other out of contention. Speaker Of Peace (Scott Young) finished second at 45-1 odds, while the longest shot on the board, 68-1 choice Nightime Dancer (Jamieson) came in third.
Tan Micallef trains and co-owns No Control (Control The Moment - Dani Hanover) along with Keira Liberte of Hagersville, Ian Clarke of Guelph and James Clarke of Oakville, Ont. The win was the first of the year and seventh career for the pacer, now with $167,000 earned for his connections.
Saulsbrook Victor ($8.70) prevailed in a first-over grind to take home the $32,000 Preferred 2 Pace.
Brett MacDonald sat fourth with Saulsbrook Victor in the early going as Dragononthebeach (James MacDonald) motored through a :26.1 opener and :54.4 half. Approaching the third station, Saulsbrook Victor started his overland approach and stalked Dragononthebeach through a 1:22 third marker. Turning for home, Dragononthebeach couldn't hold off the relentless grind of Saulsbrook Victor, who prevailed in 1:49.2. Favoured Dupree Hanover (McNair) was three quarters of a length back in second with an airborne Poseidon Seelster (McClure) flying from the back of the bus to complete the triactor ticket.
Now a 23-time winner in his career, six-year-old Saulsbrook Victor (Source Of Pride - Atlanta Girl) pushed his bankroll over the half million dollar mark for owners Brett MacDonald and Brent MacLennan and trainer Ron MacDonald.
To view the results from Saturday's card of harness racing at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada; photo, clockwise from top left, Funtime Bayama, Enforcer, Talk Curdy To Me, No Control, Osceola)