An import from Down Under recorded his first-ever charted mile over a North American raceway on Tuesday (July 2) during the morning qualifying session at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The import was an impressive winner and helped highlight a docket that also featured five baby races.
The import in question, Mister Spot A, took to the ‘fast’ track in Race 4 for driver Sylvain Filion and trainer Rob Fellows.
The son of Village Jolt was the fastest off of the gate, as he crossed over from Post 6 and was first down to the quarter pole, which was clocked in :28.2.
Filion led his five-year-old charge down to the half-mile indicator in :57.2. The duo navigated the final turn and were first to the three-quarters pole, which they passed in 1:26.1.
Mister Spot A led the field by three quarters of one length at the head of the lane. He continued to roll through the stretch, and capped off his 1:54 win via a :27.4 final quarter. The margin of victory was one and one-half lengths.
Mister Spot A, who is a brown gelding, was purchased by Arrhythmic LLC (of West Seneca, NY) on June 5.
Race 1 saw the two-year-old Royalty For Life-Enjoy N My Lady filly Enjoyin My Life get it done on the engine. The Mario Baillargeon-trained and driven bay went to the top from Post 7, cut all of the fractions (:30, 1:00.4, 1:31.4), and came home in :29.1 for a one-length win in 2:01. The morning mile was the second charted line and first-ever victory for Enjoyin My Life. The filly, who was purchased for $44,000 as a yearling at the London Selected sale, is owned by 1187422 Ontario Inc. (Ottawa, Ont.).
After having schooled over Truro Raceway and participated in a Mohawk qualifier in June, the Rheal Bourgeois-trained and Phil Hudon-driven two-year-old Press Time (Sportswriter-Flirtwithedealer) was tops in Race 2 Tuesday morning. The colt got away second from Post 3 and sat the pocket through the :29 opening quarter and :59.2 opening half. Hudon had the bay challenging first-up at the 1:29 three-quarters pole, and the duo was leading by a length at the head of the lane. Press Time finished things off with a :28.4 final quarter and was under the wire, three-quarters of one length the best, in 1:57.4. The bay, who was a $27,000 yearling purchase at the Harrisburg sale, is owned by Douglas R. Polley and Douglas E. Polley (of Amherst, NS) along with Gordon and Joanne McComb (Fall River, NS).
Four-year-old Justice Hall gelding Stormont Ventnor converted a pocket trip into a 1:55.2 win in Race 3. The Kevin Benn-trained and Phil Hudon-driven bay sat in the garden spot through the fractions (:29, :58.3, 1:27.1) and fired home in :27.4 to post a three-quarter-length victory in 1:55.2. The homebred of Eric Baker (Long Sault, Ont.) has won six of his 20 career starts, banked $321,277 in purses, and has finished off the board just five times.
Three-year-old Royalty For Life filly Shes A Sweetheart was tops in Race 5, as the lightly-raced bay recorded a gate-to-wire mile from Post 4 for driver Jody Jameson and trainer David Menary. Shes A Sweetheart cut the fractions in :29.3, :58.3 and 1:27.1 before nailing the wire eight lengths the best in 1:56.4. The filly is owned by Larry Menary (Cheltenham, Ont.), Michael Guerriero (Brampton, Ont.) and Tim Purkiss (Port Coquitlam, BC).
Three-year-old Badlands Hanover filly Lady Finetune, who has made 12 pari-mutuel starts after having gone unraced as a two-year-old, was victorious in Race 6 for driver Sylvain Filion and trainer Rob Fellows. The bay recorded a wire-to-wire victory, as she did all the work on the point (:29, :58.1, 1:26.2) after having started from Post 5. She finished things off with a :28.3 final quarter and was first under the wire in 1:55. The margin of victory was nine and a half lengths for owner Alan Bodin (Rockwood, Ont.).
Two-year-olds returned to the track for Race 7, and it was the Blake MacIntosh-trained and Chris Christoforou-driven Sunshine Hall (Sunshine Beach-Marnie Hall) who hit the wire first in 1:57. After her Post 7 start, the filly fought fore the lead past the :31 quarter pole. She cleared to the lead in the second quarter, clicked off the middle fractions (1:00, 1:28.4) and came home with a :29.2 final quarter. Her margin of victory was half a length. The morning mile was the second qualifying effort for Sunshine Hall and her first victory. She is owned by Ecuries Daniel Plouffe Inc. (Bromont, Que.).
No Where To Hide (Bettors Delight-Albany Hanover) was front and centre in Race 8, as the Blake MacIntosh-trained and Jonathan Drury-driven two-year-old went gate-to-wire in 1:57. The bay started from Post 7, crossed over, cut all the fractions (:29.4, :59.3, 1:28.4), and came home in :28.1 for a one and three-quarter-length win. No Where To Hide was purchased for $50,000 from the 2018 Lexington Selected sale and is owned by Daniel Plouffe (Bromont, Que.), Blake MacIntosh (St. George, Ont.), Ozzie Mackay (Moncton, NB) and Stuart McIntosh (Essex, Ont.).
The final dash of the morning – Race 9, which was also for two-year-olds – saw the Gregg McNair-trained and Doug McNair-driven Karma Seelster (Sportswriter-Kiddie Cocktail) take the lead in the second quarter and eventually post a one and three-quarter-length victory in 1:57.2. Karma Seelster is now undefeated after two qualifiers to start her career. She made the lead after the :30.3 opening quarter Tuesday morning, and cut the middle splits in 1:00.4 and 1:30.1 before coming home in a sharp :27.1. Karma Seelster was a $127,000 yearling purchase at last fall’s London Selected sale and is owned by Eileen and Keith Waples and Karen Hauver (Durham, Ont.).
To view the harness racing results from the Tuesday qualifying session at Mohawk, click the following link: Tuesday Results – Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).