Poor weather forced qualifiers to get bumped back by one day at Mohawk Racetrack, but stars were out in full force when things went off without a hitch on Friday

morning.

Emmylou Who, one of last year’s outstanding, sophomore trotting fillies, took the checkered flag in the first of the nine qualifiers for trainer/driver Lyle MacArthur. The OSS graduate, who made a break in last week’s first qualifying assignment of the season, overtook Yursa Hanover in deep stretch en route to beating that multiple stakes-winning foe from the Ben Baillargeon stable by just a half-length margin in 1:57.4.

Two more OSS graduates butted heads in the second qualifier, with Dalhousie Dave posting a narrow score over Tiz To Dream in a time of 1:56.2. Tiz To Dream threw down panels of :29.3, :58.2 and 1:27.1 for driver Sylvain Filion before being overtaken in the closing strides by Dalhousie Dave and driver Jody Jamieson. Tony O’Sullivan trains Dalhousie Dave, a career winner in excess of $300,000. It was his first prep of the season, whereas Tiz To Dream was making her second appearance of the year for trainer Gregg McNair.

O’Brien Award winner Crys Dream, who ended her rookie season on a six-race winning streak, was a long gone winner in the third qualifier of the morning session for trainer Henrik Hollsten and driver Jean Pierre Dubois. The three-year-old daughter of Taurus Dream-Crystas Image strolled through fractions of :29.4, :59 and 1:28.2 before kicking home in :29.3 to post the 20-length score in 1:58. The filly went 7-for-8 last season and banked just shy of $600,000.

Betterthancheddar, who is listed at odds of 55-1 in Trot 2011 North America Cup Spring Book, rallied to a 1:55.3 tally in the fourth qualifier for the tandem of driver Mark MacDonald and trainer Casie Coleman. The unraced son of Bettors Delight-Lady Ashlee Ann, enjoyed a pocket trip through splits of :30.1, :58.3 and 1:27.2 before going on the attack and using a :28-second final frame to post the 3-1/2 lengths decision. Steve Calhoun and the West Wins Stable share ownership on the colt, who was a $30,000 purchase from the 2009 Lexington Select Yearling Sale.

Shipps Xanadu edged out Mater Deo and last year’s OSS Grassroots champion in the two-year-old pacing colt division, Just Asign To Me in the sixth qualifier. Mater Deo, who captured a division of the Eternal Camnation Stakes in last year’s rookie season, sliced out fractions of :28.3, :58.1 and 1:27.1 before being overtaken in the final strides and coming up a half-length short to Shipps Xanadu in a time of 1:56.1. Shipps Xanadu, a three-year-old daughter of Mach Three-Keystone Dawn, banked close to $140,000 last season despite going winless in 14 starts. She now hangs her harness bag in the barn of trainer Roger Kopas.

To view the results for Friday's qualifiers, click the following link: Friday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.