The Saturday, Sept. 8 program at Woodbine Mohawk Park featured freshmen trotters in elimination action with the fillies contesting in two elims of the Peaceful Way and the colts in two elims for the William Wellwood. The card also featured two $83,342 divisions of the Simcoe Three-Year-Old Pace and a $150,996 division of the Simcoe Three-Year-Old Filly Pace.

The Ice Dutchess circled from the pocket heading to the half and cruised to a 1:55.4 victory in the first Peaceful Way elimination.

Fraulein Blucher took control as The Ice Dutchess, sent the 1-2 favourite, sat pocket through a :28.4 opening quarter ahead of Angies Luckeylady gapped out in third. Driver Yannick Gingras soon angled The Ice Dutchess from the pocket and overtook Fraulein Blucher before a :58.4 half.

Evident Beauty tipped first over from fourth as the field chased The Ice Dutchess around the final turn. By three-quarters in 1:27.2, The Ice Dutchess strolled home under minor pursuit from Evident Beauty taking second and Presto Change O shooting through a gap at the rail in third. Angies Luckeylady held fourth and Hp Titania Runner rounded out the finalists.

By Muscle Hill from the Conway Hall mare The Ice Queen, The Ice Dutchess, owned by Coyote Wynd Farms, won her third race in six starts, surpassing $200,000 in earnings. Jimmy Takter conditions the $3.10 winner.

“[This race] was just a matter of keeping her on stride and getting her around the track,” Gingras said after the race. “[The hopples] definitely make her a little safer. Here and there she interferes with them a bit but she’s able to save herself with the hopples. The way she was tonight, she probably could’ve done it without—she was well-behaved tonight and there was never an anxious moment.”

Sisters Promise pounced on 3-5 favourite Susy circling the final turn and kicked clear to a length victory in the second Peaceful Way elimination timed in 1:55.4.

Susy sent for the lead while Teddys Littleangel parked to the first turn when attempting to leave from the outermost post. Teddys Littleangel cleared control by the quarter in :28.1 before yielding the front to Susy as she brushed to the lead before a :57.3 half.

Tim Tetrick initiated his bid with Sisters Promise moving into the final turn and quickly marched to match strides with Susy at three-quarters in 1:26.3 before sticking her neck in front into the stretch. Sisters Promise continued to hold sway as Susy battled back towards the rail and extended her margin over the favourite heading to the line. Speed Titan slid into contention to take third ahead of finalists Tommi Canu Hearme and Teddys Littleangel.

Owned by Brittany Farms LLC, Sisters Promise, by Father Patrick from the Donato Hanover mare Amourato, won her second race in four starts, earning $42,216. Linda Toscano trains the $8.30 winner.

“Last week we got away too far back—got away fourth but [Susy] just went a :30-and-something quarter and from there it was hard to catch that mare,” Tetrick said after the race. “Today he had to leave and remove and got [to the] half in :57 and from there I thought I had a good shot.

“She put in a step here and there but she’s really sure-footed and (knock on wood) she hasn’t made a break,” Tetrick also said. “She has plenty of speed and I know you haven’t seen the best of her yet; she has plenty of speed left.”

Following the eliminations, the field received their post positions for the Peaceful Way final and will line up next Saturday (Sept. 15) as follows:

1. Presto Change O
2. Susy
3. The Ice Dutchess
4. Sister Promise
5. Evident Beauty
6. Angies Luckeylady
7. Teddys Littleangel
8. Tommi Canu Hearme
9. Speed Titan
10. Hp Titania Runner
AE Fraulein Blucher

Marcus Melander trainee Green Manalishi S dominated the first elimination for the William Wellwood Memorial with a three-and-a-half length stroll in 1:54.4 as the 4-5 favourite.

Tim Tetrick sent the favourite to the lead as Ct Conabra also contested for the lead before losing stride heading into the first turn. Green Manalishi S led Westfiftysecond, pushing for the pocket from post one, through a :28.2 opening quarter. He continued on the lead unpressured through a :57.4 half while Hudson River slowly tipped off the rail from third and supplied cover to Kings County entering the final turn.

Green Manalishi S opened his lead by three-quarters in 1:26.2 as Kings County moved three wide to circumvent Hudson River parked to the outside of Westfiftysecond faltering at the rail. Kings County swept into second while Smart As Hill vaulted from the rear of the field and through the center of the track for third. Southwind Avenger and Hudson River capped out the finalists.

By Muscle Hill from the Enjoy Lavec mare Naga Morich, Green Manalishi S, owned by Courant Inc., won his third race in five starts, earning $150,357. He paid $3.60 to win.

“He looked beautiful out there,” Melander said. “We bought him in Sweden as a yearling [in] August of last year then we shipped him over here in September, October. He was very good in the Peter Haughton—parked the entire mile—even if he has a lot of speed, he has a lot of stamina [so] he can do whatever he wants. It was very good [that] he could be on the lead today because he had some tough trips, first in the Haughton then in the Pennsylvania Sires Stakes, [so] I was very happy he could get a good race today.”

With a pocket trip Union Forces upset 1-5 favourite and previously undefeated Swandre The Giant to win the second William Wellwood Memorial elimination at 33-1 in 1:55.3.

Gerry left from the center of the track with Union Forces to his outside and Swandre The Giant near the rail. Union Forces shot to the rail as Gerry made a break approaching the first turn, leaving Swandre The Giant in the pocket through a :27.4 opening quarter.

Swandre The Giant circled to the lead entering the backstretch and took the field by the half in :57.3. While Your Up, sitting third, edged off the rail and rushed towards the leader heading to three-quarters with White Tiger on his back. Past three-quarters in 1:27.2, Swandre The Giant turned away While Your Up as White Tiger circled wide and Union Forces found room to vacate the pocket. Union Forces slid off the rail and past Swandre The Giant in the final eighth to win with White Tiger third, Okeanos fourth and While Your Up completing the finalists.

Returning $68.90 to win, Union Forces, by Cantab Hall from the Muscles Yankee mare Southwind Catlin, competes for Lindy Farms Of Connecticut, Robert Rudolph, David Anderson and John Fielding. Trained by Domenico Cecere and driven by Scott Zeron, Union Forces collected his third win from four starts, collecting $43,412 in earnings.

“To me, [Union Forces winning] is not a surprise,” Cecere said. “I know he’s 33-1 but I know the horse—he’s a great horse, great gait, great head. It was a perfect trip [but] when I saw him in the two-hole I thought ‘They better be careful.’”

Below is the draw for the William Wellwood Memorial Final also conducted during the card:

1. White Tiger
2. Okeanos
3. Green Manalishi S
4. Union Forces
5. Hudson River
6. Smart As Hill
7. Swandre The Giant
8. Kings County
9. Southwind Avenger
10. While Your Up
AE Ct Conabra

Shower Play again stormed through the center of the track to collar pacesetter Youaremycandygirl and 3-5 favourite Kissin In The Sand to take the $150,996 Simcoe Three-Year-Old Filly Pace in 1:52.

Sitting fifth to the quarter, Shower Play sat off a contentious first quarter with Parisian Blue Chip parking For The Record and Youaremycandygirl into the first turn. For The Record eventually cleared the lead and took the pocket as Youaremycandygirl got to the cones past the quarter in :26.4. Youaremycandygirl then gained separation on the field heading to the half as she paced three lengths ahead of For The Record holding second through a :56.4 clip with Parisian Blue Chip tipping first over and Kissin In The Sand on her cover.

Youaremycandygirl continued to lead with an open margin through three-quarters in 1:24.1 before Kissin In The Sand kicked off cover and began reeling in the pacesetter. Shower Play, positioned third over around the turn, fanned wider and sprinted past Kissin In The Sand late in the stretch as Youaremycandygirl faded to third.

“She can be so quick, especially in the last quarter,” winning driver Louis Philippe-Roy said. “It’s always fun to win races on the front but going by everybody it’s a better feeling for sure. I give the credit to Susie and Rene because for awhile in the summer we had some steering issues with her so they worked on her and [now] I think she’s coming back better than she was at the beginning of the season.”

Winning her fifth race in 10 starts this season and her eighth in 15 overall, Shower Play, by Shadow Play out of the Bettors Delight mare Alice Emily, races for owner-trainer Rene Dion and partners Susie Kerwood and Martin Leveillee and has compiled $454,300 in earnings. She paid $14.10 to win.

“She’s just a good horse,” Susie Kerwood said. “I don’t know what else to say; she just does it all. She’s so quick and, I’ll tell you one thing, Rene [Dion] has done an amazing job on this horse. I’m just going for the ride—it’s very gratifying and to have Martin has a partner makes it even more exciting.”

The Downtown Bus went down the road to take the $83,342 first division of the Simcoe Three-Year-Old Pace in 1:50.2 while holding off a late-stretch bid from Torrin Hanover.

Leading past the quarter in :27.3, The Downtown Bus paced unchallenged on the lead to the half in :56.2. Dragon Time attempted to advance first over moving to the far turn while Babes Dig Me drafted from the pocket and Torrin Hanover behind him in third. By three-quarters in 1:23.1, Babes Dig Me edged off the rail as did Torrin Hanover in pursuit of The Downtown Bus into the stretch with The Downtown Bus maintaining the advantage through the line while Torrin Hanover lunged past Babes Dig Me to take second.

A homebred for trainer Jeff Gillis and partner Ellen Ott, The Downtown Bus, a gelding by Mach Three out of the Artsplace mare Slimsplace, won his eighth race in 19 starts this season and in 26 overall, earning $238,700. Tim Tetrick steered the $4.20 winner.

“He’s turned a corner,” Tetrick said. “Jeff’s done a really good job with him and every start I’ve driven him in he’s been good. Last week he trained around pretty good in [1]:49[.2] and today he was up in a little more open class—some better bred horses in there—and he still got the job done. He fought them all; I was proud of him.”

Stay Hungry lunged after pacesetter Backstreet Shadow through the stretch and nailed him on the wire to win the $83,342 second division of the Simcoe narrowly in 1:49.3.

Positioned fourth through a :27 opening quarter, Stay Hungry stuck to the rail as Backstreet Shadow maintained control under no pressure through a :55 half. Driver Doug McNair tipped the 2-5 favourite first over heading into the final turn and began to cut into his deficit as Backstreet Shadow passed three-quarters in 1:23.1.

Backstreet Shadow remained in front with a two length lead into the stretch while Stay Hungry tucked behind for cover. Into the final eighth McNair angled out again with Stay Hungry and dug into Backstreet Shadow heading to the wire to stick his nose in front as Hidden Delight finished six lengths behind the two in third.

Owned by Brad Grant and Irwin Samelman, Stay Hungry, by Somebeachsomewhere from the Dragon Again mare My Little Dragon, won his fifth race in 11 starts this season and his 11th in 20 overall, earning $1,240,119. Tony Alagna trains the $2.90 winner.

During the card the field for the Canadian Trotting Classic, which went straight to final, also drew with the post positions below:

1. Missile Hill
2. Mets Hall
3. You Know You Do
4. For A Dreamer
5. Lawmaker
6. Alarm Detector
7. Run Director
8. Fiftydallarbill
9. Winning American
10. Crystal Fashion
11. Zephyr Kronos

The field for the Elegantimage also drew and will line up as follows:

1. Phaetosive
2. Manchego
3. Alloveragain
4. Blonde Magic
5. Jordan Blue Chip
6. Atlanta
7. Sneeker Hanover

Bill Budd-trainee Nirvana Seelster ground out a third-place finish in Saturday’s $34,000 Preferred Pace to become harness racing’s newest millionaire.

The seven-year-old gelding entered Saturday’s card just a little over $300 away from $1 million in career earnings.

Nirvana Seelster and driver Trevor Henry did the heavy-lifting in the Preferred and despite surrendering the lead early in the lane, the Budd trainee battled hard to the line for a third-place finish, beat only three-quarters of a length.

American Wiggle, driven by Louis-Philippe Roy for trainer Richard Moreau, captured the $34,000 top-class in 1:49.4.

Owned by Bruce Davy, Nirvana Seelster is a 39-time winner with a mark of 1:48 taken last season at Mohawk Park. The Budd trainee has made 176 of his 178 career starts at either Woodbine Racetrack or Mohawk Park.

Nirvana Seelster recently competed in his fourth consecutive Canadian Pacing Derby. The fan-favourite has seven wins, 20 top-three finishes and $191,170 earned in 27 starts this season.

(With files from Woodbine Mohawk Park)

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.