Blinded By Delight motored away down the stretch after a three-move effort to win the fastest $16,000 Pop-Up Series first-leg division on Thursday, Sept. 4 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

James MacDonald called for speed from the mare from post five but slid her into third as Carsons Gouda (Bob McClure) and Hes Express (Jody Jamieson), both to her inside, flew into the first turn. Carsons Gouda won the early battle before the quarter in :26.3, but she was shuffled to third as Blinded By Delight brushed to the front before giving up command to Cheese Party (Trevor Henry) at the half in :55.3.

In the pocket through three-quarters in 1:23.2, MacDonald summoned Blinded By Delight off the pylons again at the top of the lane, and she blew by Cheese Party before cruising home to a 1:51.1 victory. Cheese Party coasted home in second, 2-3/4 lengths off the winner. Hes Express finished third.

Blinded By Delight came within a fifth of a second of her career mark as she took her second win of the year in 11 starts. The Bettors Delight-Ladys Art mare, a homebred for Ken Seastrom of Wilton, Calif., has racked up 12 wins and $123,355 in earnings in 51 lifetime appearances. Blair Burgess trains the six-year-old who paid $2.60 to win.

Yoda Queen ($2.50) won the first division to kick off a Pop-Up Series leg sweep for MacDonald, cutting the mile in 1:52.4. She put up the panels of :26.1, :55.1, and 1:24 and held on by a head over the persistent Gentrify (McClure). P L Rinchenia (Louis-Philippe Roy) was third. Yoda Queen, a five-year-old daughter of All Bets Off-J M Chicago, is trained by Julie Walker for Jamie Doig of Petrolia, Ont. She is now 22-for-62 lifetime and has earned $171,079.

The Pop-Up Series is for pacing fillies and mares that started for a purse of $12,000 or less in their prior start, with non-winners of $25,000 in a minimum of 10 starts this year also eligible. Horses with earnings of more than $50,000 in 2025 are not eligible.

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

(Standardbred Canada)