Two-time O'Brien Award runner-up HP Mama B made her first on-track appearance of the year in Monday morning's qualifiers at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Trained and bred by Ben Baillargeon, the six-year-old daughter of Royalty For Life easily took the lead in a shortened field and ran her own race, trotting to victory in 1:56.3 with Mario Baillargeon in the bike. She set fractions of :31, 1:01.2 and 1:29.4 before sprinting home in :26.4 to finish 27 lengths ahead of season-debuting three-year-old fillies P L Rainbow Dash and Ring The Alarm.
HP Mama B earned nearly a quarter-million dollars last year, with multiple wins against the boys in Preferred action at Mohawk and top three finishes in a pair of Grand Circuit events competing in the Breeders Crown and Dayton Oaks. Lifetime, she has earned more than $800,000 and sports a record reading 22-13-11 from 73 starts for owners Guylaine Picard of Guelph, Ont. and Celine Paquin of Ayers Cliff, Que. She has been nominated to the Armbro Flight Stakes this June at Mohawk.
The fastest pacing mile of the morning was put forth by Sorcha Seelster, a three-year-old All Bets Off sister to two-time O'Brien Award winner Stockade Seelster. Making her second qualifying start of the season, the maiden filly shot past Battle of Belles Stakes winner Cheese Party in a :26.1 final clip to win by five in 1:54.3 despite drifting wide off the final turn for driver Bob McClure.
John Pentland trains the filly out of multiple Ontario Sires Stakes winner Soiree Seelster and co-owns with R C Molyneux Racing of Sparta, Ont., Peter Charlton of St. Thomas, Ont., and Archie Leach of London, Ont. Sorcha Seelster hit the board in her two starts as a freshman, including a close runner-up finish in a late August 1:52.2 Grassroots division.
A replay of Woodbine's video stream of the qualifiers is available below.
To view Monday's complete qualifying results, click the following link: Monday Results (Qualifiers) - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada; Photo of HP Mama B winning last year at Mohawk)