Twenty-one pacing fillies from this year’s freshman class butted heads in a trio of $70,000 OSS Gold Series divisions Monday evening at Mohawk Racetrack, with daughters of Bettors Delight, Vintage Master and Sportswriter winning their respective assignments.
L A Delight, a homebred daughter of Bettors Delight-West Of L A, celebrated the richest win of her career thanks to a 1:53.2 score in the opening division. Randy Waples treated the Bob McIntosh pupil to a ground-saving trip while Free Show got away with sensible panels of :27.2, :57.1 and 1:25.3. L A Delight shook free in the lane and powered home in :27.1 to win by 2-1/4 lengths over Free Show. Big White Pearl came on strong to finish third.
Robert McIntosh Stables Inc, C S X Stables and Al McIntosh Holdings Inc own the talented lass who boasts a 2-0-1 record from three trips to the track. She’s banked $45,680 to date.
Thatsoveryverynice was a treated to a second-over trip in the second division, and she parlayed that trip into a 1:53.3 triumph. Jody Jamieson got away sixth with the heavy favourite while Stonebridge Pearl and Danish n Coffee took turns on the lead through fractions of :27.1, :56.3 and 1:25.3. Twenty Three Red came first over and Thatsoveryverynice tracked her into the lane before kicking off cover and using a :27.3 kicker to win by three-quarters of a length over Maniana. Twenty Three Red wound up third.
Alagna Racing LLC and Marvin Katz share ownership on the daughter of Vintage Master-Fox Valley Zena. She’s 2-for-2 to start her career, and she’s stashed away $70,000 in the process.
Twin B Thong toted home her second OSS trophy of the season thanks to her decisive score in the third division for driver Chris Christoforou and trainer Casie Coleman. The filly got away fourth while Vintage Babe and Thisorthat Hanover took turn on the lead through first-half fractions of :27 and :56.1. Twin B Thong brushed to the top shortly past the half, and after taking the field to the three-quarter pole in 1:24.1 she used a :28.4 closing quarter to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Thisorthat Hanover in 1:53. Bernadette was third.
West Wins Stable, Mac Nichol and Steve Calhoun own the daughter of Sportswriter-Beach Bound improved her rookie record to 2-1-0 from three starts while her bankroll climbed to $73,500.
Monday’s card also featured the first leg of the Dream Maker Series for two-year-old pacers, and the lone division went to Control The Moment and driver Randy Waples in 1:53.4. The son of Well Said-Lifesliltreasure shot to the top and carved out the first quarter in :28.3 before taking a backseat to Max Is Back who sprinted past him in the backstretch. Max Is Back led the group through fractions of :57.2 and 1:26.2 before being overtaken. Control The Moment popped the pocket and fired home in :27.2 to win by two lengths over Mindtrip. A distant third was Adrian Hanover.
Trainer Brad Maxwell co-owns the undefeated rookie with Howard Taylor, Edwin Gold and Ben Mudry. Control The Moment, who was a $47,000 purchase from last year’s Lexington Select Yearling Sale, has banked $13,000 to date.
Team Baillargeon enjoyed a very productive night at the office thanks to a hat trick performance which included a gate-to-wire score in the $34,000 Preferred Handicap Trot with Etruscan Hanover. Mario Baillargeon rolled the Ben Baillargeon-trained gelding to the lead from Post 5 and the speedball successfully sliced his way through splits of :27.1, :55.4 and 1:24.1 before kicking home in :28.2 to win by 1-1/2 lengths over Murmur Hanover in 1:52.3. Third prize went to Catch The Dream.
Ben Baillargeon shares ownership on the 13-time winner with Claude Hamel, Santo Vena and Nunzio Vena. The five-year-old son of Donato Hanover-Exotic Destination has racked up a 6-3-1 record from 17 trips postward this season. He’s banked in excess of $100,000 this year and more than $140,000 to date.
To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.