Two-year-old trotting colts and geldings invaded Mohawk Racetrack on Friday night to face off in three $90,531 divisions of the Grand Circuit's Champlain Stakes with Father Patrick stealing the show in a 1:54 track and Canadian record performance.

Kicking off the evening's stakes action, Pasadena Star wore down race favourite Massacaia to prevail in a career-best clocking of 1:57.1 for driver Randy Waples and trainer Bob McIntosh.

The colts were stacked three-wide into the first turn with Massacaia trotting
up to take command over Aggressive (Mike Saftic) and Verdi (Paul MacDonell) by the :28.2 first quarter mark.

Massacaia proceeded to the half in :58.4 with Waples moving Pasadena Star underway from fifth and Massive Talent (Rick Zeron) following his cover.

Massacaia raced by the third quarter station in 1:28.2 with Pasadena Star advancing and then edging by in a stretch duel to win by one and a quarter lengths. Massacaia settled for second and O Narutac Perfetto (Billy Davis Jr.) rallied home from the backfield for third.

The winning homebred gelding is a son of Kadabra while his dam is Ontario Sires Stakes graduate Pasadena Princess, a mare that was involved in the formation of the successful McIntosh-Waples partnership.

"Pasadena Princess was basically the first good horse that I drove for Bob," noted Waples in a post-race interview. "He left me on her when I first started driving for him. She went out and made $200,000. She was a really nice filly, very smart. She's a lot like this guy -- just a real nice horse -- so it's kind of nice to stick around and be able to drive her and drive her baby too."

Having climbed from the Ontario Sires Stake Grassroots to Gold level and now the Grand Circuit, Pasadena Star sports a record reading 4-0-1 in six starts with earnings soaring to more than $72,000.

"He's been really, really smart right from day one," added Waples. "It all goes back to Bob, they do a tremendous job with their babies. He's a really nice little horse; very handy and very accommodating."

Pasadena Star paid $10.20 to win as the 4-1 second choice in the wagering.

He is owned by the Windsor-based McIntosh Stables along with Ohio's C S X Stables.

Mark Steacy trainee Harper Blue Chip drew away from the Waples-driven Damfoolrmillionair to win the second Champlain Stakes division in 1:56 flat in rein to Sylvain Filion.

Filion rolled Harper Blue Chip to the lead from post eight with outsider Derby (Mario Baillargeon) hot on his heels and rolling up to take over command past the :28.2 first quarter mark.

However, Harper Blue Chip took back the lead down the backstretch and reached the half in :58.

Meanwhile, the popular half-brother to former Horse of the Year San Pail, Damfoolrmillionair, moved underway from fourth at the midway mark and advanced into the two-hole as the colts rolled by the next marker in 1:27.1.

Down the stretch, Damfoolrmillionair moved back off the pylons in pursuit of Harper Blue Chip, but the leader stepped away to win by more than three lengths. Damfoolrmillionair finished second with Raise The Curtain (Paul MacDonell) coming in third.

Despite facing a jump in competition, Filion was confident in the OSS Grassroots winner, who recently broke stride while competing in the Gold Series.

"Last time I sat behind him [in the Grassroots on Aug. 8 at Mohawk] he won really easy so I knew he could do it," said the winning reinsman.

"I just felt once I was there [on the lead], if I could control the pace, I knew I had a shot," said Filion explaining his racing strategy. "He trotted right through to the wire. I expect big things from him. He's improved every race so hopefully he'll continue."

Lansdowne, Ont. trainer Steacy, who conditioned Harper Blue Chip's sire Majestic Son, shares ownership of the $40,000 Harrisburg Sale yearling with Landmark 6 Racing Stable of Kingston, Ont., David McDonald of Cornwall, Ont., and David Reid of Glenburnie, Ont.

Sent postward as the 3-1 second choice, Harper Blue Chip paid $8.10 to win. He now has a record of 2-1-0 in five career starts.

Father Patrick won his Canadian debut in the third division coming within two-fifths of a second of Muscle Hill's world record for driver Yannick Gingras and trainer Jimmy Takter.

Riding a win streak that includes a victory in the Peter Haughton Memorial, the 1-5 favourite forged to the front from post five with second choice Il Sogno Dream (David Miller) advancing up alongside to take over the top spot past the :28-second quarter mark.

Gingras moved Father Patrick out for the retake down the backstretch and hit the half in :56.2 and then three-quarters in 1:25.3. Meanwhile, Deweykeepumnwhy (Jody Jamieson) advanced first over from fourth while the pocket-sitting Il Sogno Dream broke stride and moved to the safety lane.

As the colts entered the homestretch, Father Patrick drew off for the 1:54 record-setting victory. The former track standard for two-year-old male trotters was 1:54.4, set by American Gangster in 2011, while the Canadian record of 1:54.1 was established by O'Brien Award winner Blue Porsche in 2010 at Woodbine Racetrack.

"He's a real special colt," said Takter. "He's such an athlete. He's up there as one of the top horses I've even seen I think.

"He's matured quite a bit. They're just two-year-olds and we expect them to do so much. With every start he's really starting to realize what he's created for. He's a pure athlete."

The Cantab Hall-Gala Dream colt, who boasts five wins and one second-place finish in six starts with earnings of more than $247,000, is owned by New Jersey's Father Patrick Stable. He was a $105,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase and is the full-brother to millionaire Pastor Stephen, a 2010 Champlain Stakes winner himself.

Father Patrick paid $2.40 to win. E L Titan (Riina Rekila) came on for second while Deweykeepumnwhy finished third.

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