Bob McIntosh's homebred Mach Three gelding On The Take defeated older rivals on Sunday afternoon (October 8) at Leamington Raceway for his first career win and equalled the two-year-old track record.
With Garrett Rooney in the driver's seat for the $3,500 sixth race, On The Take established the lead from post six and carved out fractions of :29.1, :59.1 and 1:28.2 en route to the record win in 1:58.3. His winning time matched the two-year-old Leamington record set by colt Homey Joe in 2016 and was a new gelding mark.
The Robert McIntosh Stables Inc. bred the Mach Three-Everybreathutake gelding, who is also co-owned by James Walker of Port Perry, Ont. The freshman's 10th lifetime start was a maiden-breaking one.
Sent postward as the race favourite, On The Take paid $3.50 to win. He won by three and three-quarter lengths over sophomore filly Stonebridge Cadeau and three-year-old gelding Cam Our Luck.
Rooney also guided the Windsor-based McIntosh stable's Bit Of Luck to a 1:59.4 score, which was the two-year-old pacing colt's fourth victory, as part of a driving grand slam on Sunday's 10-race card.
The Canadian Hall of Fame trainer went two-for-two on the day, and was also breeder of two other Leamington winners trained by Greg Price: the maiden-breaking three-year-old colt Kirbys Luck and six-year-old pacer On Golden Ponder.
To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Leamington Raceway.