A pair of $50,000 Open events - one for pacers and one for trotters - highlighted the Monday evening program at Woodbine Racetrack, and winning paycheques were doled out to Please Poppy and Ramegade Bruiser.

Please Poppy worked out a beautiful pocket trip for driver Mark MacDonald, who easily converted the two-hole ride into a victory.

The Per Henriksen trainee stalked Misterizi through fractions of :27.3, :57 and 1:26 before launching an attack in the lane. The four-year-old son of Self Possessed kicked home in :28 seconds to score for the seventh time in 18 tries this season. Misterizi was a solid runner-up and Enny Youngman was third.

Owned by Norwegian partners Bjorn Skabo of Oslo and Ragnar Hagen of Sandefjord, Please Poppy pushed his lifetime earnings over $400,000 with the win.

Last week’s winner of the Open Trot, Armbro Chronicle, finished a disappointing seventh. The Ontario Racing Commission’s on-track veterinarian, Dr. Jack McCall, told Trot Insider the Kent Baker student suffered an atrial fibrillation of the heart.

As a side note, Please Poppy’s full brother, Nineanddivine, prevailed one race later in a $21,000 conditioned assignment for trainer Joe Stutzman and driver Jason Brewer. Carl Cox and Jim Lewis of Belleville, ON hold the papers on Nineanddivine.

Ramegade Bruiser steamrolled to his fourth consecutive victory thanks to an eye-catching 1:50.3 decision in the $50,000 Open Pace for driver Chris Christoforou.

The five-year-old son of Rambaran, who was a 1:49.4 winner in last week’s edition of the Open Pace, laid down panels of :26.3, :55 and 1:22.4 before unleashing a :27.4 final quarter to cap off the gate-to-wire score. It was three lengths back to Zooka, who photoed out Escapable Beaux for the runner-up award.

Dave Brown of Cannington, ON owns and trains the gelding, who won for the 10th time this season and for the 29th time in his career. His bankroll climbed to $581,739 with the win.

To view Monday’s results, click here.