Trainer Matt Bax will have a solid chance for a sweep of the Millard Farms and Pure Ivory finals after a pair of his pupils prevailed in second leg action on Thursday, Aug. 1 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Thursday's card featured five $20,000 stakes contests for the rookies, with two divisions for the Pure Ivory and Millard Farms and a single second leg dash for the Whenuwishuponastar.

The $50,000 finals for the Pure Ivory (for two-year-old filly trotters) and the Millard Farms (for two-year-old male trotters) are slated for Thursday, Aug. 8. Bax sent out two favourites on Thursday, and both of those rookies delivered for their supporters and connections. 

Staying perfect with her third win in three appearances, Southwind Milk ($2.20) and driver James MacDonald followed first-over Clarissa W (Bob McClure) around the far turn in the second Pure Ivory division, then powered home when shown clear racetrack for a lifetime best 1:55 score. Clarissa W stayed for second over Highlandstarburst (Louis-Philippe Roy).

Southwind Milk (Walner - Mimispearloflindy) is trained by Bax for Bax Stable of Campbellville, Big Als Stables of Woodbridge, Ont. and Neil Miller of Dollard-Des-Ormeaux, Que. She'll be the likely favourite in next week's final.

Bax's other winner on the card was also a repeat winner in the Millard Farms preliminaries, but Extended Session ($2.60) would appear to have a deeper group of eligible rivals to face next week.

With You Guessed It (Tyler Jones) and Night Phantom (McClure) duking it out through a :58.4 and 1:28.3 middle half, Extended Session also stalked patiently here for MacDonald before launching in the lane to collar those early leaders. However, Cover Band (Scott Young) was airborne from the back of the pack and just missed the eventual winner by a head at the end of a lifetime best mile.  Southwind Caspian completed the triactor for trainer-driver Bax.

Also perfect in three appearances, Extended Session (Walner - Moms Millionaire) is owned by Al Libfeld of Pickering and Bax Stable of Campbellville, Ont.

The fastest first leg Millard Farms winner was Emoticon Legacy, who sat this one out after winning in his debut in 1:55.3. Finishing second in that mile was  Go Ahead Makemyday ($2.80), a wire-to-wire winner in the second Millard Farms division contested on Thursday. Sylvain Filion guided the Blake MacIntosh student to a new mark by virtue of the 1:56 performance, more than three lengths better than Tregaron (Young) and All Valley (MacDonald).

Now with a 2-1-0 summary from three starts, Go Ahead Makemyday (Walner - Uvie Hanover) is co-owned my MacIntosh along with Van Camp Trotting Corp. of Port Perry, Mortgage Boys Stable of Fayetteville, N.Y. and Ozzie MacKay of Moncton, N.B.

The aforementioned Emoticon Legacy is a son of former Luc Blais pupil Emoticon Hanover. Blais also conditioned the dam of Lasting Dream ($8.80), who connected for her first win in the other Pure Ivory division. 

Louis-Philippe Roy placed Lasting Dream forwardly from the rail, yielded to amped-up lonsghot P L Sapphire (McClure) through the middle half and then angled out approaching the third quarter. Lasting Dream had the lead heading to the wire, and then secured victory when favoured Grand Reserve (MacDonald) lost her gait shortly before the wire. Grand Reserve held second with P L Sapphire rounding out the top trio. 

A homebred of Determination, Lasting Dream (Cantab Hall - Dream Together) sports a 1-0-2 summary in her three attempts.

In addition to the trotting rookies on display, pacing filly Cant See Me was visibly impressive for the second week in a row but this time around the betting public jumped all over Whenuwishuponastar first leg winner. Last week, 9-1 odds. This week, 1-2. Both weeks, winning in 1:54. Each week, a different trip. 

Connecting from off the pace on July 23, Bob McClure employed front-end tactics for Thursday's test and made every call a winning one. Kicking home in :26.4, Cant See Me was two lengths better than a hard-closing Little Papi (Jody Jamieson) with Au Jus Hanover (MacDonald) the next across the wire.

Trained by birthday boy Shawn Steacy for Hudson Standardbred Stable Inc. of Hudson, Que., Cant See Me (Captaintreacherous - Unseen) will definitely have a target on her back in the $50,000 Whenuwishuponastar Final on Friday, Aug. 9.

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

(Standardbred Canada)