Mohawk Closes Out 2023 Season
The curtain closed on the 2023 season at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday, Dec. 30 with James MacDonald and Richard Moreau headlining the Campbellville, Ont. oval action as the leading driver and trainer, respectively.
MacDonald entered into the season finale with 397 wins tallied. With a driving hat trick on the evening card, he pushed his season tally to 400 wins for the year at Mohawk, just the seventh such season on the Woodbine Entertainment circuit to earn him his third consecutive driving title. Earlier in the week, the Guelph, Ont. resident surpassed 3,500 career driving wins. In 2023, he earned more than $9 million in earnings at Mohawk and more than $10 million overall. In February 2024, MacDonald will look to add his third consecutive O'Brien Award as Driver of the Year.
Louis-Philippe Roy (284 wins) took second in the standings while Doug McNair (229) completed the top three.
Ten-time O'Brien Award winner Moreau notched his 7,000th career victory on Saturday, Dec. 23 and then earned his eighth straight training title at Mohawk on Saturday, Dec. 30. The Puslinch, Ont. resident scored 206 wins over the season, with a 100-win lead that earned him another line on his lengthy training resume. He banked more than $4 million this season at Mohawk.
Carmen Auciello (106) finished second in the training standings and Kyle Fellows (83) rounded out the top three trainers this season.
Fitting for the season finale, leading driver MacDonald and leading trainer Moreau capped off the card with a victory together with Thrilling Times. The 13-1 longshot from post eight rallied from the back of the pack to win by a half length in 1:53.3.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.