Millionaire pacing mare So Much More kicked off her nine-year-old campaign with a gutsy victory in the Friday, Jan. 3 feature at Woodbine Mohawk Park, giving James MacDonald one of his six driving wins on the 11-race card.
The popular Don Beatson trainee put away pacesetter Century Jamila after a third-quarter duel then prevailed in a photo finish over the pylon-skimming Blue Pacific in the featured $24,000 seventh race, a high-end conditioned pace for fillies and mares.
After Century Jamila and Jonathan Drury fired to the front in a :27.1 opening quarter, MacDonald sent So Much More first-up from fourth to match strides with the leader as they passed the half in :56.1. A battle between the front pair ensued to three-quarters in 1:24 with So Much More taking over command as the mares entered the stretch. As Century Jamila faded, pocket-pursuer Blue Pacific and Bob McClure found room late to shoot through inside of So Much More, but the three-time O'Brien Award-winning mare summoned her back class in deep stretch to hold on for the 1:52.4 win in a head decision. Glenboro and Travis Cullen edged out 9-5 favourite Angostura Hanover and Trevor Henry for the show honours two lengths behind.
So Much More, a daughter of Big Jim out of the Real Artist mare Ladysai, earned her 76th career win and pushed her bankroll to $1,721,827 for owners Don Beatson, Kenn Beatson and Cole England.
She paid $8.70 to win as the 3-1 third choice in the field of nine distaffers.
So Much More completed a four-race win streak mid-card for MacDonald following a pair of close calls with favoured pacing mares Western Wish ($2.80), conditioned by Carmen Auciello, and Topville Checkmein ($2.50), a first-time winner from the Doug Hie stable. During that stretch of successful starts, MacDonald also drove the maiden-breaking three-year-old trotter Neverlose Felix ($4.80) in a five-length romp for trainer Dominic Gladu.
The Guelph, Ont. reinsman's six-win night began in the second race with Boxing Day's Niagara Pacing Series champion Mikki Sixx ($2.70) holding off the late-closing mare Oh A Legend to win their rematch in 1:54.2 for trainer Gregg McNair.
MacDonald later closed out the Friday night action with the Tony Beaton-trained pacing mare Lyons Bettorday ($7.80) drawing away by three lengths at the end of her winning mile.
He now has eight wins, four seconds and a third from 20 drives over the first two Mohawk cards in 2025.
Coming off his fourth consecutive year as Canada's leading driver for both wins and earnings, MacDonald is a finalist for the Keith Waples Driver of the Year Award once again with winners to be announced at the O'Brien Awards gala on Saturday, Feb. 8.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada)