The Grand Circuit season at Woodbine Mohawk Park continued on an eventful Friday, Sept. 11 with the Grade 3 Champlain Stakes for two-year-old trotters that included a stakes record performance and a milestone achievement. There was also an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold event on the evening's undercard. 

A total of four Champlain Stakes, two open divisions and two for fillies, were held on a clear evening at the Campbellville, Ont. oval.

Beauts Cabaret was all business in posting a stakes record-equalling victory of 1:53.1 in the first $87,000 Champlain filly division.

The Steve Bossence trainee and driver Doug McNair pushed to the front and never looked back, posting fractions of :27.4, :57 and 1:25.1 before a :28 final frame landed her in the record books. Dreamtrade (Bob McClure) rallied from second-over to finish second, beat 1-1/4 lengths. Treasure King (Jody Jamieson) was third.

A daughter of International Moni and Southwind Cabaret, Beauts Cabaret showed an impressive rebound from a break in the Grade 1 Peaceful Way Stakes to win the Champlain.

“We got jammed up in the last turn and made a break [in the Peaceful Way], not saying she would’ve won, but she would’ve got a good piece of it,” said McNair. “She’s pretty full of herself there upfront…when I called on her, she gave me another gear…it’s an impressive mile.”

The clocking of 1:53.1 matched the stakes mark set by Righteous Resolve in 2022.

Bred by Southwind Farms, Beauts Cabaret now has three wins in six starts and $74,430 earned for Bossence and partners Stephen Palermo of Etobicoke, Ont., and Jeffery Ruch of Innisfil, Ont.

Beauts Cabaret paid $12.20 to win as the 5-1 third choice.

Favourite Major Contender and driver Jody Jamieson made multiple moves to win the $87,000 second Champlain filly division in 1:54.4. The three-time O'Brien Award-winning reinsman reached a career milestone with the victory, surpassing $160 million in lifetime earnings.

With co-favourite Dataprivacy (Bob McClure) making a break at the start, the action ramped up and there were multiple lead changes throughout the race. Elusive Station (Louis-Philippe Roy) trotted out to the lead for a :27.2 opener, while Carl Jamieson trainees Major Contender and Rebel Moon (James MacDonald) got away fourth and fifth.

Major Contender marched up to the top ahead of the half, but the lead didn’t last for long as stablemate Rebel Moon followed and cleared to command just after a :57.4 clocking.

Jody Jamieson and Major Contender weren’t taking any chances in the two-hole, angling out just before three-quarters. Rebel Moon reached the third marker in 1:26.4.

In the stretch, Major Contender muscled by her stablemate and pushed home nicely to win in 1:54.4 by 2-1/2 lengths. Rebel Moon just held on for second over Elusive Station and Twin B Kingsley (Trevor Henry).

A daughter of King Of The North out of Major Muscle, Major Contender picked up her third win in eight starts and her second consecutive victory. Jody Jamieson was very happy with the latest effort.

“I didn’t really want to move that early -- Rebel Moon is a heck of a filly -- but I didn’t want to have to wait in case someone came to my wheel. I just wanted to make sure I had a clear shot,” said Jamieson. “About 10 steps later, I thought I had Rebel Moon and was hoping no one else was coming from the back. It was awesome; Rebel Moon was still second and this filly, to me it was the best-case scenario.”

Carl Jamieson also co-owns Major Contender with 1140545 Ontario Ltd. of Guelph, Ont., David Lemon of London, Ont., and George Harrison of Lancashire, England. Also a winner of two Ontario Sires Stakes Gold legs, Major Contender now has $205,033 in earnings.

The filly, a $154,930 yearling purchase from last fall's Standardbred Horse Sale, was bred by Princeton Farms, Mark Etsell, Robert Newton and Chuan Tan.

She paid $5.20 to win.

William Wellwood Memorial runner-up Access Now scored a strong win as the 1-2 favourite in one of Friday's $79,000 Champlain open events.

The gelded son of Walner-Open Access and driver Bob McClure showed good early speed to get out in front, while 8-5 second-choice Detonater Hanover (Tyler Moore) was parked around the first turn as he worked towards the lead. Off a :28 opener, Detonater Hanover cleared to the front and put up clips of :57.2 and 1:26.4 with Access Now following right in behind.

In the stretch, Access Now got by in the sprint home and prevailed by 1-1/4 lengths in a career-best 1:53.4, trotting his final quarter in :26.4. Detonater Hanover raced well in defeat, while Three Six Zero (Jody Jamieson) was third.

Trained by Luc Blais and owned by Determination of Montreal, Que., Access Now was a hard-closing second in the Grade 1 Wellwood Memorial and has taken big steps in his development.

“He had all the tools, he was just lacking maturity,” said McClure. “He seemed to click in the Wellwood and five more steps he wins that race. Even tonight, moving off Tyler’s back, that’s a fast horse and I wasn’t sure this guy would go by, and I moved him over and he took off trotting.

“Luc does a good job with them, and they’ve done a great job with him and it’s a clicking now and an exciting time of the year for him to be this sharp.”

The Champlain victory improved Access Now’s record to two wins and six top three finishes from seven starts. His earnings jumped to $211,130 with the win.

The Fair Winds Farm-bred trotter was a $281,690 yearling purchase from the 2025 Standardbred Horse Sale.

Access Now paid $3.10 to win.

In the other $78,000 open division of the Champlain, King Of The South sparked a 16-1 upset for driver Trevor Henry and trainer Scott McEneny. 

The King Of The North-Pink Fringes gelding got away fourth in the field of six and was first to pull entering the far turn, edging up to a few lengths off the pacesetting The Great Gazoo (Mark MacDonald) turning for home after the fractions went in :28, :58, and 1:26.3.

King Of The South kept on trucking down the lane and was a clear winner by 1-3/4 lengths in 1:54.1, trotting a final quarter in :27.1. Mahalo (Todd Ratchford) finished second off a two-hole trip while 7-5 favourite Grand Manalishi (Tyler Jones) was third.

Taking a step up from the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Series, King Of The South had one win and five top three finishes in seven starts going into the Champlain.

“I actually just threw him in hoping there would be two small fields and he’d get a cheque,” said McEneny post-race. “He raced good last week first-up and he won the week before…he’s been coming around and he went a big trip tonight.”

King Of The South knocked over three seconds off his lifetime mark. He’s now earned $64,700 for McEneny and partners Varsakis Racing of Hamilton, Ont., Cantucky Farm of Jarvis, Ont., and Martwest Racing Stable of Mississauga, Ont.

The $29,577 Standardbred Horse Sale yearling acquisition was bred by Tara Hills Stud and W J Donovan.

A $2 win ticket returned $34.

Cher Hill blasted up the inside and pulled away from the field to dominate the $150,000 fifth leg of the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series for three-year-old trotting fillies, giving driver Doug McNair another stakes victory on the Friday night card.

Sent off as 7-5 second choice in the field of 10, the Gregg McNair-trained Cher Hill won by 6-1/4 lengths in a career-best 1:52.1. It was back-to-back Gold victories for Tom Hill's homebred daughter of Muscle Mass out of Lauramarie Hill.

Cher Hill left the gate well into a :27.2 first quarter and was followed to the lead by Flowing Tribute (Bob McClure), who took over close to the half-mile marker, reached in :56.3. Soon after, James MacDonald made his move from fourth with the 4-5 favourite Blue Jean Gal and advanced to second as Flowing Tribute held command to three-quarters in 1:24.3, with Cher Hill inside in third.

In the stretch, Flowing Tribute drifted somewhat, allowing Cher Hill to shoot up the inside. On the outside, Blue Jean Gal made a break and Cher Hill sailed free to victory. Twin B Showbiz (Tyler Borth) closed from the backfield for second over Satu Wania (Trevor Henry) and Flowing Tribute.

“I was just making sure we had the pace rolling along a little bit [off the gate],” said Doug McNair after the race. “I didn't want to be sitting third when she was so handy getting off the wings tonight. But Bob's got a good filly to follow [in Flowing Tribute]. She takes you where you need to go, and then she usually drifts out late in the stretch when she gets a little bit tired. So she's a great one to follow.

“I thought she had a really good shot at the top of the stretch, though, around the last turn, I wasn't sure. James’ horse [Blue Jean Gal] was still trotting and travelling pretty well, and Bobby was still rolling along up front as well. So, I was just hoping to finish about third or fourth in the last turn. Once we straightened up, she hit another gear and she was really good.”

Cher Hill improved her record to 4-1-1 in 10 starts in 2026 and 7-1-3 in 20 lifetime outings. She has earned $229,677 this year and $360,514 lifetime.

She paid $4.90 to win.

In other action, sophomore pacing filly Cant Turn You Down extended a win streak that stretches back to July 10 and includes a pair of Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots divisions. Owned by trainer Zachary Carroll along with Sean Downey of Strathroy, Ont., the Cattlewash-Amulet Seelster filly equalled her lifetime mark of 1:50.3 after leaving sharply from post nine in a $24,000 fillies and mares conditioned pace with Bob McClure aboard for her sixth straight win.

Stakes action continues Saturday evening at Mohawk. Rookie pacers will be in the spotlight for the Grade 3 Champlain, while three-year-old pacing colts and geldings clash in the Grade 3 Simcoe. An Ontario Sires Stakes Gold leg for three-year-old colt and gelding trotters is also on the agenda. Post time is 6:30 p.m.

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

(Woodbine, Ontario Racing & Standardbred Canada)