A set of OSS Gold Series divisions went postward Thursday evening at Woodbine Mohawk Park, with Bright Eyes M and Teddys Littleangel capturing their respective $105,600 divisions.

Bright Eyes M got the ball rolling with her front-stepping score in the first contest.

Steve Byron rolled the John Bax trainee to the lead from Post 7 and she strolled through first-half fractions of :27.1 and :57.2 before being overhauled by Royal Esteem. That 32-1 shot sped up the tempo around the final turn and took the field past the three-quarter pole in 1:25. Bright Eyes M popped back to the outside in the lane, however, and used a :27.3 closing quarter to win by 4-1/4 lengths over Royal Esteem in a career-best clocking of 1:53. Mercedes Talma tagged along to finish third.

“You get a little nervous when that happens, but I was always worried about her being on the front end because she can stop up on you. She’s getting a little more manageable all the time, but she’s certainly got her own mind,” said trainer John Bax of Royal Esteem rolling past the fan favourite. She’s got the desire, you can’t teach that, she digs in and she says, ‘I’m taking this, get the heck out of my way’.

"I’ve got to decide what to do on that, but so far it’s been like every two weeks and that’s pretty nice,” added Bax. “I think she could use it and I think it’s good for her mental state as much as her physical state. I’ll play it by ear, give her a week off and then see where we go from there.”

Sent off as the 1-5 favourite, the daughter of Kadabra-Motown Muscle improved her 2019 record to 5-2-0 from seven attempts for Menhammar Stuteri AB of Paris, KY. She’s a perfect 3-for-3 in Gold events this season, and thus leads all fillies with 150 points in her division. The filly watched her overall earnings climb to $213,817 with the win.

Teddys Littleangel turned a two-hole trip into a 9-1 upset when she tracked down heavily favoured Haveoneforme in the closing strides of the second division.

Doug McNair put Teddys Littleangel on the lead from Post 6, and together they sliced out the opening quarter in :28.2 Haveoneforme got away third, but she quickly rushed to the lead in the backstretch and then led the group through middle splits of :57.4 and 1:26.1. Haveoneforme continued to lead the way into the lane, but she couldn’t fend off Teddys Littleangel who tipped out late and fired home in :28.2 to win by a neck over Haveoneforme in 1:54.4. Angies Luckeylady took home the show dough.

“She was really good tonight, nice easy fractions and she kicked home when she had too,” said trainer Ted MacDonnell. "It’s just been a work in progress. Her blood kind of got out of kilter on me and just a few little things, I think we’ve got her back now, she seems back to her hold self.”

It’s the second straight Gold Series score for the homebred daughter of Archangel-Pine Knolls. Ted MacDonnell trains the five-time winner for owner Len Gamble of Etobicoke, Ont. The victory improved her 2019 record to 2-1-1 from eight tries and it bumped her lifetime earnings to $266,893.

To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Woodbine Mohawk Park.