Aetos Kronos S kept the gears turning while gutting through a parked first half and stopped the clock with plenty of steam to set a track and national record winning his $50,000 Maple Leaf Trot elimination on Friday, Aug. 22 in the first sub-1:50 trotting mile on Canadian soil.

Driver Dexter Dunn floated forward with 4-5 favourite Aetos Kronos S and landed in a wide spot with no seats at the pylons approaching a :27 first quarter. Dunn then ventured forward after tempo-setter Hillexotic (Jody Jamieson) and crossed to the front before clocking a :55 half. Despite travelling the extra ground early, Aetos Kronos S motored through the turn to three-quarters in 1:22.4 with Hillexotic as the only close pursuer spinning for home.

Hillexotic angled outside in the lane for a late challenge and galvanized Aetos Kronos S in a sprint to the finish. Aetos Kronos S snugly staved off Hillexotic to register a length win in a 1:49.4 mile, which eclipsed the previous track and Canadian all-age trotting mark of 1:50.2. 

The former record was set by trotting mare Atlanta in the 2019 Armbro Flight and equalled by 2023 Maple Leaf Trot champion Alrajah One IT, Gaines Hanover in a 2024 Open, 2025 Goodtimes winner Emoticon Legacy and Fashion Frenzie in a Preferred this past June.

Gaines Hanover (Bob McClure), Southwind Coors  (Yannick Gingras) and the mare Call Me Goo (Ake Svanstedt) finished third through fifth in the elimination to advance to the final.

“When he went [1:50.4] on Hambo Day, he did it pretty easy, but for him to do it himself like that is really impressive,” said Dunn after the race. “He’s a nine-year-old now so he’s pretty relaxed out there in the mile. As soon as you ask him to do it, he’ll do it for you though. We took our time going around the first turn and once he got the front, he felt terrific.

“He’s a real racehorse; he wants to fight other horses off,” added Dunn. “We weren’t really overextending him tonight, but we had to make sure we fought Jody [Jamieson and Hillexotic] off. He felt to me like he wasn’t going to go past him.”

Marcus Melander trains Aetos Kronos S, a son of Bold Eagle out of Will Of A Woman, for owners Jeff and Michael Snyder of New York City, New York. The European import collected his 25th victory from 71 starts and has now amassed $1.63 million in earnings. He paid $3.70 to win. ​

Lexus Kody dealt a 16-1 stunner against divisional head honcho Periculum to take the second Maple Leaf Trot elimination in a 1:51 mile.

Driver Yannick Gingras settled Lexus Kody into fourth while Logan Park (Doug McNair) built momentum from the outermost post in the octet to grab the lead into a :27.2 first quarter. Logan Park cruised up the backside to a :56 half, where Gingras decided to pull and march Lexus Kody first-up towards the top with 1-5 chalk and defending Maple Leaf Trot champion Periculum (Scott Zeron) following the move second-over. 

Lexus Kody loomed to equal terms with Logan Park wavering to three-quarters in 1:24 before spurting past the weary pacesetter and seizing the lead. Periculum tipped to the centre of the track to muster his usual rally; however, Lexus Kody remained resolute to the challenge through the stretch. Lexus Kody withstood Periculum’s persistent charge to win by a half-length while Up Your Deo (Ake Svanstedt) finished third, another 3-1/2 lengths back, and Private Access (Louis-Philippe Roy) overtook Chapercraz (James MacDonald) for fourth.

“I had the confidence in my horse," said Gingras in a post-race interview. "He’s got big lungs and felt really good turning for home; it was just a matter of keeping him on his business. But he felt so good tonight. He was nice and relaxed in the post parade. I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Ron Burke trains Lexus Kody, a seven-year-old by Archangel out of Lexus Helios, for owners Burke Racing Stable of Fredericktown, Pennsylvania, Weaver Bruscemi of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and Phillip Collura of Mountain Top, Pennsylvania. The gelding earned his 31st win from 83 starts and has now earned $925,218 in his career. He paid $34.20 for the upset win.

Mohawk conducted the draw for the Maple Leaf Trot final following the last of the two eliminations. The elimination winners earned priority and a protected draw between posts two through six. Below is the field for the Maple Leaf Trot final, which goes to post next Saturday, Aug. 30.

Maple Leaf Trot
Post - Horse - Elim Driver - Trainer
1. Private Access - Louis-Philippe Roy - Luc Blais
2. Call Me Goo - Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt
3. Aetos Kronos S - Dexter Dunn - Marcus Melander
4. Periculum - Scott Zeron - Marcus Melander
5. Lexus Kody - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke
6. Southwind Coors - Yannick Gingras - Ron Burke
7. Gaines Hanover - Bob McClure - Justin Turcotte
8. Chapercraz - James MacDonald - Ron Burke
9. Hillexotic - Jody Jamieson - Todd Luther
10. Up Your Deo - Ake Svanstedt - Ake Svanstedt

On the Friday undercard, Global Heritage pulled off a mild 7-1 upset when holding 1-9 chalk Lasting Dream at bay with a pillar-to-post 1:52 win in the first $78,250 division of the Casual Breeze Stakes for three-year-old trotting fillies. 

Driven by Dexter Dunn, the Domenico Cecere-trained Global Heritage worked to take the lead from Lasting Dream (Louis-Philippe Roy) into a :27.2 first quarter and managed to snag a breather to a :57 half before hitting the accelerator in a :55 back half with just enough in reserve to hold off Lasting Dream’s pocket pounce by three-quarter lengths and take a new career mark. Stormont Beautiful (Bob McClure) finished third, another seven lengths behind.

“She felt good on the front,” said Dunn after the race. “Obviously, Louis’s horse has been racing out of her skin lately, so I thought whether we’re following or she’s behind us she’ll be hard to beat. Domenico had this filly ready to trot tonight. We got a pretty good second quarter and started getting moving around the last turn [and] she kicked hard; credit to her.”

Global Heritage, a daughter of International Moni and Birthright, is now five-for-13 in her career and has earned $124,051 for owner/breeder Lindy Farms of Connecticut. She paid $17.40 to win.

While the favourite was foiled in division one, Tim Tetrick delivered 1-5 chalk R Dutchess to a 1:52 victory in the $77,250 second division. 

Tetrick moved methodically with the John Butenschoen trainee from the pylon post and made a brush for the lead after a :27.3 first quarter to clear before a :55.3 half. R Dutchess stayed on the muscle to three-quarters in 1:23.4 and then stayed brave to the finish under increasing pressure from Zette Athena (Bob McClure) to win by a neck in a new lifetime mark. Sprite Seelster  (Tyler Borth) finished 3-1/2 lengths behind in third.

“We’ve been tickled to death with her,” said Butenschoen after the race. “She’s come back real strong, a lot better mannered. We scheduled her to start later and have her ready for the Hambo Oaks. She came first-up, but that wasn’t her problem; she was done at the head of the stretch. [She] had a little mucous, we ran SAA tests on her the next morning and it was quite elevated. We started her on some antibiotics. She raced great [in the Delmonica Hanover], she got shipped to Canada and came back six days later to win in [1:]52 here again tonight and fought down the stretch. We’re very pleased.”

A daughter of Father Patrick and The Ice Dutchess, R Dutchess has now won six races from 19 starts and banked $435,764 for lessee M And L of Delaware/Armitage Farm. She paid $2.50 to win.

With a late kick, 6-5 favourite LMC Wagon Wheel won a surprisingly competitive five-horse $140,000 Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold event in the fourth leg for three-year-old trotting colts early on the Friday card.

Tyler Borth drove LMC Wagon Wheel to the career-best 1:53.1 victory for trainer Ben Baillargeon and owner Frank Cirillo of Kleinburg, Ont. LMC Wagon Wheel was bred by Loredana Cirillo of Kleinburg, Ont.

It was the first Gold victory of the year for the gelded son of Wheeling N Dealin-LMC Marshmellow, who edged two-time Gold champ P L Spencer (Bob McClure) by a half-length at the wire, with Galen Erso (Doug McNair) third.

Borth had LMC Wagon Wheel on the front early and led the field through the :27.2 opening quarter as the oncoming Ritchie Rich (Todd Ratchford) made a break. Before the :56.3 half, Borth relented the front to P L Spencer and then Galen Erso took over. LMC Wagon Wheel was content to sit third through the 1:24.4 three-quarters before charging past the two front-steppers in deep stretch to record the victory, with a :27.4 final frame.

“It was a short field, but I still wanted to get away somewhat close [to the front],” said Borth in a post-race interview. “It wasn’t a great spot, but I wasn't too concerned. When Todd Ratchford’s horse made a break, unfortunately for them, it obviously helped things. And [LMC Wagon Wheel] closes so well. When I was only third on the rail, I thought he would kick home and I knew we had a good shot.”

LMC Wagon Wheel improved to 3-2-3 in 11 starts this year and sent his lifetime earnings over the $200,000 mark. 

“He’s been nothing but good all year,” said Baillargeon. “So, it was just a matter of time before he won [a Gold].”

LMC Wagon Wheel was the fourth different Gold winner in the division this year. P L Spencer and Ritchie Rich won the two opening leg Golds on May 29 at Mohawk. On June 23 at Mohawk, P L Spencer set the fastest mile by a male sophomore trotter in OSS history, winning the lone Gold at Mohawk in 1:51.3. Galen Erso won the most recent Gold in the division on July 16 at Grand River Raceway.

A four-time career winner, LMC Wagon Wheel was victorious in a Gold event in 2024 when he was trained and driven by Pat Hudon.

In regular racing action, Mohawk's weekly $36,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace was won by the forwardly placed 4-5 favourite, Caviar N Crackers, who shot up the pylons in the stretch for driver Ed Hensley and defeated outside closer Coco Jo Jo (James MacDonald) in a head decision. Trained by Ashleigh Hensley, the five-year-old Captive Audience-Crackers Hot Shot mare stopped the clock in 1:50.2 to earn her 11th victory this year and push her divisional leading earnings total to $242,040 for the season. She paid $3.80 to win.

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

(Woodbine, Ontario Racing & Standardbred Canada)