The third and final preliminary round of the prestigious Classic Series wrapped up at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday night with four rich divisions for older horses

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Chick N Tell Upsets In Trotting Classic

Chick N Tell prevailed as the longest shot on the board in the single $92,030 division in the third leg of the Trotting Classic on Saturday night at Mohawk Racetrack.

Mike Saftic was reunited with the seven-year-old son of Glory B River - Power Chickette who stalked from last position in the short field of five.

That pair watched Arch Madness (Trond Smedshammer), who took command just past the :27.2 first quarter, lead the field past the half in :56.2 and three-quarters in 1:25. Chick N Tell had picked up the cover of heavily-favoured Corleone Kosmos (John Campbell) and was poised second-over as the field turned for home.

Corleone Kosmos was able to wear down the pacesetter but could not hold off the late rally of Chick N Tell who got up late for the 1:53.2 tally. Corleone Kosmos finished second with Arch Madness holding the show spot.

Chick N Tell returned $31.70 for the win.

It was the sixth victory of the season for Chick N Tell who was back in the care of co-owner Stephen Doyle for Saturday’s contest. The winner’s share of the purse pushed him over $190,000 this season and $690,000 lifetime for Doyle along with the Stake Your Claim Stable of New Jersey and 3 Brothers Stables of New York.

Tug River Princess Wins '09 Debut In The Classic Distaff

Tug River Princess made her 2009 debut a winning one with an impressive 1:52.2 victory in the $92,030 single division in the third leg of the Classic Distaff at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday night.

John Campbell was in the driver’s seat behind the four-year-old daughter of Badlands Hanover - Aucryifiwanto who got away last in the compact field of five and watched race favourite A And Gs Confusion (David Miller) put up uncontested splits of :27.1, :56.4 and 1:25.

As the field approached the top of the stretch, Arts Diva (Paul MacDonell) had made a first-over bid to challenge with Hana Hanover (Randy Waples) sitting in the pocket third and Michelles Power (Jody Jamieson) poised second-over in fourth. Tug River Princess, meanwhile, remained glued to the pylons in fifth.

Campbell remained patient with his charge and once clearance became available on the inside, Tug River Princess easily powered past her rivals with a strong :27 second final quarter. Hana Hanover rallied well to finish second with A And Gs Confusion settling for the show spot.

It was the 18th career victory for Tug River Princess who races under the care of Darren McCall while in Canada. The lion’s share of the purse boosted her career bankroll to just over $940,000 for the Let It Ride Stables Inc., Robert Cooper Stables and Jerry Silva.

Classic Lane Lives Up To Her Name In Classic Oaks

The aptly named Classic Lane turned in a gritty first-over victory in Saturday’s single $92,030 division in the third leg of the Classic Oaks at Mohawk Racetrack.

Steve Condren picked up the catch-drive behind the four-year-old daughter of Lindy Lane - Heartland Classic and had her sitting in fourth spot through a first quarter in :27.3, compliments of the hard-leaving Spice Queen (Paul MacDonell).

Classic Lane made her move to the outside just before the :57.2 half and had worked her way up to the tempo setter by the time they reached the third marker in 1:26.3. She continued to dig in after the long, uncovered journey and eventually edged past Spice Queen for the hard-earned 1:54.2 victory.

Spice Queen managed to salvage the place spot with Stage Show (Trevor Ritchie) rounding out the top three. The winner returned $11.50.

It was the third win in seven starts for the Ed Lohmeyer trainee who is owned by Robert and Lauren Tucker of Glen Gardner, New Jersey. The winner’s share of the purse vaulted her past $340,000 lifetime.

Winbak Speed Wins Pacing Classic Slugfest

The small, but speedy Winbak Speed took on all comers and emerged victorious in Saturday’s single $92,030 division in the third leg of the Pacing Classic at Mohawk Racetrack.

Ron Pierce sent the six-year-old gelded son of Village Jove - Purrfect Kitty straight to the front from Post 2 and had the field stacked up single file through an opening panel in :27 seconds.

Longshot Eagle Luck (Mark MacDonald) took a shot at brushing to the lead in the second quarter, but Pierce had no intentions of releasing that rival to the front and parked him through a fast half of :54.3. At that point, Bigtime Ball (Paul MacDonell) had tipped out from fourth and was sitting second-over as the field neared the three-quarter pole.

Bigtime Ball rolled three-wide around the stalled cover and engaged Winbak Speed at the third marker in 1:22.4. In fact, Bigtime Ball stuck a neck in front in mid stretch with Bettor Sweet (John Campbell) beginning to unleash a furious rally from the back.

The top three finished right across the track at the wire with Winbak Speed fighting back gamely to emerge victorious by a head in 1:49.2. Bigtime Ball was able to hold second over on the onrushing Bettor Sweet.

It was the ninth win of the campaign for the Wayne Givens trainee. Givens co-owns the pacer along with Niel Gargiulo of Milford, Delaware. The lion’s share of the purse boosted his seasonal bankroll to just over $335,000 and his lifetime take to more than $685,000.

To view Saturday's results, click here.

The four Classic Series Finals will each race for a purse of $340,000 CDN (est.) next Saturday, June 13 at Mohawk.

Eligible horses must be declared with the Mohawk Racing Office at (905) 854-7805 before 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9. The entry fee is $3,000 USD.

Point standings and other pertinent details on TCS are available at the series website.

(With files from WEG and The Classic Series)