Woodbine Mohawk Park played host to a 10-race qualifying session on Tuesday (July 7) that featured Canada's 2019 Horse of the Year, Forbidden Trade, and five dashes that featured two-year-olds.
Forbidden Trade did what he had to in Race 4, as Canada's 2019 Horse of the Year employed a second-quarter move and held on late to post a 1:55.1 victory for driver Bob McClure and trainer Luc Blais.
Forbidden Trade faced the starter alongside eight foes and settled into fourth prior to the :28.4 quarter pole. McClure was the second driver to make a move for the lead in the second panel, as he and Forbidden Trade made their way to the point and clicked off the opening half in :58.2 while overland.
McClure and Forbidden Trade utilized :28.2 speed in the third frame and were the first duo down to the three-quarters indicator in 1:26.4.
Forbidden Trade continued to trot right along in the stretch as rivals geared up with late bids. Forbidden Trade did what he had to do in the lane to seal the victory, as he cruised home with an effortless :28.2 final quarter.
(Please note that Forbidden Trade's qualifier starts at roughly the 1:03:10 mark)
Last year, Forbidden Trade posted a 8-3-1 record from 14 seasonal starts and banked more than $1 million in earnings en route to Horse of the Year honours. The son of former O'Brien Award winners Kadabra and Pure Ivory sports a career summary of 15-3-2 from 27 starts for owner Determination of Montreal, Que. with more than $1.38 million in his bankroll.
Blais and McClure recently discussed Forbidden Trade, and their comments can be read by clicking here.
Multiple two-year-olds also faced the gate during the Tuesday session, as five races for juveniles were contested. Three of the 'baby races' featured a lone, lightly- or unraced three-year-old; and, in each of those cases, it was the three-year-old that went on to record the victory. The sophomores that won the qualifying races for two-year-olds were Trixton filly Okayzoomer (1:59.2), Sportswriter filly Miss Katie Claire (1:57.4), and Kadabra colt Dorset Bay (2:02.2).
The two-year-olds that recorded victories during the session were the Clark Beelby-trained and Paul MacDonell-driven Rau Ru, who came with a strong first-up move to win in 1:58.1, and the Always B Miki colt Yankee Litigator, who paced to a wire-to-wire win in 1:56.1 for trainer Dan Lagace and driver Louis-Philippe Roy.
To view the harness racing results from Mohawk's Tuesday qualifying session, click the following link: Tuesday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).