Monalishi, in rein to James MacDonald, rocketed home in stakes record fashion to win a thrilling renewal of the $390,000 Peaceful Way on Saturday evening, Aug. 24 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.  

In the Grand Circuit trotting stakes event for rookie fillies, Royal Mission (Todd McCarthy) blasted off the wings to take the early lead, as Margareta Hanover (Yannick Gingras) crossed over from post nine to sit second on the outside, with favourite Champagne Problems (Dexter Dunn) and R Charm  (Scott Zeron) tucked in along the rail in third and fourth, respectively. Monalishi, sent off at 11-1, was settled into eighth spot in the 10-horse field through a lively opening quarter in :27.1.

A swift move from Dunn had even-money choice Champagne Problems on the lead by a half-length over Margareta Hanover at the half in :55.3. Meanwhile, MacDonald kept a patient hand on Monalishi, who remained eighth.

The action continued as R Dutchess (Jody Jamieson) came calling ahead of the turn for home, as Champagne Problems braced for the challenge of that filly, as well as Lasting Dream (Louis-Philippe Roy), who was gathering momentum just before the three-quarter juncture reached in 1:23.3.  

Lasting Dream found the front in the late going, but was unable to fend off Monalishi, who got up to post a half-length score in a stakes record 1:52.2, just two-fifths of a second off the divisional track record. R Dutchess was third and Champagne Problems finished fourth with Margareta Hanover fifth.

“She showed lots of early speed and I was going to try and let her do what she likes,” said MacDonald, who was in the race bike of the Blake MacIntosh-trained filly for the first time. “Leaving the gate, everyone was barrelling out of there and I had to kind of call an audible.”

It would prove to be the perfect game plan. 

“I said to Blake that she is so nice to drive,” said MacDonald. “She just kind of rode lightly on the line the whole way and turning for home she was on the bit, but not raging. I said, ‘Maybe, we will get a chunk.’ Every time I asked her, she just gave me a little more and a little more, and then halfway down the lane, she really kicked into gear. I was pretty confident she was going to get there.”

MacIntosh, who co-owns the rookie trotter with Tim Klemencic of Trenton, Ont., was elated with the electrifying effort engineered by MacDonald and daughter of Green Manalishi S-Pretty Phylly G who came into the final off a second in her Peaceful Way elimination last Saturday.

The Aug. 17 runner-up result stung MacIntosh.

“I just wasn’t happy that she got beat [in the elimination]. I thought she was the best in there last week. We put her on the front and she’s just not as good on the front. She is better chasing horses. It just didn’t work out last week.”

It worked to perfection this time for the filly bred by Shmuel Farhi of London, Ont.  

“You always hope that [they work out],” said MacIntosh of the $28,000 purchase at the 2023 Standardbred Horse Sale. “But you never know. I can tell you in the wintertime that we thought we had two better than her. And she has just turned into a great horse. We are really happy with her.”

Monalishi, now 4-1-0 from six starts, paid $24.90 for the upset win.

The Peaceful Way is named for one of the most talented trotting fillies ever bred in Ontario who earned more than $3.2 million during her stellar career and was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 2008. One year earlier, shortly after Peaceful Way’s retirement, Woodbine Entertainment announced they had renamed the Oakville Stakes (an event she won handily in her two-year-old career) in her honour.  

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

(With files from Woodbine)