After winning five races in a row, driver Doug McNair later capped off a fantastic Friday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park with a victory in the featured $36,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace aboard millionaire Silver Label.
The top pacing mares took to the track in the ninth race and outside starter Silver Label bided her time in fourth through fractions of :27.1 and :55.4 before catching cover in the final turn as three-quarters went in 1:23.1. She accelerated off cover down the stretch with leader Huntress (Sylvain Filion) giving way and won easily by two lengths in 1:50.2. Tells On A Roll (Travis Cullen) stormed home from the back of the pack to finish second with the final turn pocket-popper Dabarndawgswatchin (Jody Jamieson), last week's winner, getting the nod in a show photo over longshot Angostura Hanover (Trevor Henry) at the pylons.
Silver Label was the 2-5 favourite in the field reduced to six distaffers with her stablemate Prohibition Legal scratched sick. She returned $2.90 to win.
Trained by Nick Gallucci, Silver Label earned the fifth Mares Preferred victory of her five-year-old campaign to go along with top three finishes in multiple Grand Circuit stakes. Millar Farms' homebred mare by Bettors Delight out of Hidden Gem now boasts 25 victories lifetime and a bankroll of more than $1.63 million with $273,398 earned from her 15 starts this year.
Prior to the ninth race feature, McNair drove the winners of races three through seven, including a pair trained by his father Gregg. The two-year-old trotting filly Stovid ($10) kicked off McNair's win streak with a 1:58 maiden-breaking victory and sophomore pacing colt Fasnacht Hanover ($5.40) topped stablemate Flag Party in the sixth for the father-son duo.
McNair also drove four-year-old pacing mare Kellina Diamond ($5.70) to a 1:52.2 career-best victory for trainer Carmen Auciello and sophomore pacing filly Tea Party Hanover ($8.80) to a new mark of 1:52.4 for conditioner Bruce MacDonald. He also won with the three-year-old filly pacer How Much ($16.70) from the David Menary stable.
McNair swept half of the Oct. 11 card with drives in just seven of the 12 races, putting his seasonal win count at 234.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada)