The opening leg of the Oxford County Trotting Series was contested on Saturday afternoon at Woodstock Raceway, with six $10,000 divisions on tap

for three-year-olds and upward.

Censored took the opening split in wire-to-wire fashion for trainer Dr. John Hayes and driver Brad Forward. Hayes, who shares ownership on the three-year-old son of Striking Sahbra with Kim Kaplan, Lynn Szafran and Hypercompuglobalmeganet, watched the gelding stop the clock in 2:04.3 en route to defeating Bee Sparky and Gambino.

The next division went to Muggles and trainer/driver Terry Kerr, who eked out a half-length score over Ah Striking Stride in 2:03. Thrill Lover rounded out the top three. The three-year-old Muscles Yankee miss extended her win streak to three-in-a-row for owner Doug Millard of Woodstock, Ontario.

J N Baroness stepped to a career-best clocking of 2:03.4 in the next split for owners Brian and Dorothy Dunbar of Palmerston, Ontario. Dunbar, who trains the three-year Berndt Hanover filly, watched driver Bruce Richardson turn a two-hole trip into drawing away victory over Jack In Action and Cacao Rust.

It was a gate-to-wire score in the fourth division for Chinnys Wings, who won by more than five lengths in a time of 2:01.1 for trainer/driver Doug Bowins. The four-year-old son of Armbro Ricochet, who is owned by Bowins and partner Donald Brinkman of East Coulee, AB, easily defeated PC Cutting Edge and Ringadingbling. It was the third consecutive victory for the career winner of $41,517.

M T L Maple extended his win streak to 10-in-a-row in the fifth split for the Whelans – owner/trainer Walter and driver Mike. The homebred three-year-old son of Malabar Maple successfully sliced out panels of :30.1, 1:01.4 and 1:32.3 before throwing down a :30.2 final quarter en route to the 2:03 decision over The Promised Horse and Siena Belle. M T L Maple has banked in excess of $68,000 to date.

The final division went to Yorktown Duchess, who used front-end tactics to post a three-quarter length victory over Paco Brandy in a career-best clocking of 2:02. Third prize went to Ja El Spitnimage. Brad Forward mapped out the winning trip for the five-year-old daughter of Duke Of York, who is owned and trained by Mark Jamieson of Parkhill, Ontario.

The second leg of the Oxford County Trotting Series is scheduled for next Saturday at Woodstock Raceway, with the $25,000 (added) final on July 25.

Saturday afternoon’s program also featured two divisions of the Mildred Williams International Driving Series.

Angie Matthews guided Optimum Gold to a driving away victory in the first split. The daughter of King Conch, who stopped the clock in 2:03.3, easily handled runner-up B Js Tippytoes [Tracy Procop] and third-place finisher Paco Belle [Ambyr MacPhee].

The second division went to Elisabeth Jansen, who went coast-to-coast with Mimis Express in a time of 2:04. The daughter of Elliotts Express prevailed by a length over Kantaka [Ambyr MacPhee]. Demon Hall [Ann Karin Larsen] rounded out the top three.

To view Saturday’s harness racing results, click here.