Driver Mario Baillargeon and trainer Ben Wallace have teamed up to win their fair share of races over the years, and they worked some of their magic on Thursday evening at Woodbine Racetrack.
Baillargeon guided a trio of Wallace trainees to victory lane, and he engineered a winning trip with a trotter from his brother's barn to bring his nightly win total to four.
Tenacious Kyle, a first-timer from the stable of trainer Ben Baillargeon, got the ball rolling for Super Mario. The homebred son of Kadabra stepped to a solid 1:58.4 score for owners Tom & Elizabeth Rankin of St. Catherines, ON.
The Ben Wallace-trained Baby You Save Me took the second race in 1:55.1, and that gave driver Baillargeon the sweep of the Daily Double wager.
That trainer/driver duo made a round trip to the winner's circle in the third race thanks to an impressive effort turned in by Sand Top Gun, who romped to a 1:57.1 in his debut for the new connections.
Starofthesea Devie completed Wallace's hat trick and gave driver Baillargeon the Grand Slam when she rolled to a 1:52.2 victory in the tenth race. The daughter of Western Hanover, out of a former Wallace star named Walk On The Beach, came within a fifth of second from equaling her lifetime mark.
Honourable mention from the Thursday evening program at Woodbine Racetrack goes to Sharonas Dignity, who stretched her personal win streak to five-in-a-row for Phil Coleman, who trains the pacing mare for the West Wins Stable of Cambridge, ON.
Mark MacDonald engineered the winning trip for the seven-year-old daughter of Cams Dignity, who pushed her lifetime earnings in excess of $300,000 with the win.
To view Thursday's results, click here.