Grand Circuit star Darlinonthebeach shipped north and took the top spot in Friday’s $30,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The top class for pacing fillies and mares had seen three different winners (Request For Parole, Exhilarated, Kendall Seelster) in the last three weeks and all three were back to battle in Friday’s feature contest. Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman trainee Darlinonthebeach was the lone newcomer in the field of eight.
Sandbetweenurtoes and driver Louis-Philippe Roy shot off the gate to the lead and posted opening fractions of :27.2 and :56. Darlinonthebeach and driver Bob McClure took their time in the early stages and got away sixth, eventually catching cover entering the far turn when Request For Parole committed first-up from fourth.
Sandbetweenurtoes ramped up the tempo in the third quarter with a :27.3 split while keeping distance away from Request For Parole and Exhilarated. Darlinonthebeach was sitting third-over and tipped three-wide coming off the final turn.
In the stretch, Darlinonthebeach tracked down her rivals with powerful strides to take the lead in the final eighth and score the victory by a length in 1:52. Exhilarated battled tough to finish second, while Sandbetweenurtoes held third over Kendall Seelster.
A five-year-old daughter of Somebeachsomewhere, Darlinonthebeach was making just her second start since May. Her return to the races was a fifth-place finish in the Mares Preferred at The Meadowlands on November 16.
Owned and bred by White Birch Farms, Darlinonthebeach earned $1 million over the past three seasons racing for trainer Nancy Johansson. Now in the care of ‘Nifty’ Norman, the multiple-stakes winner is two-for-six with $42,100 earned this season.
Friday’s victory was the 19th career win for Darlinonthebeach. She paid $7 to win.
Later on the program, A Boy Named Suuzz ran his win streak up to six in rein to Louis-Philippe Roy. Trained by Rob Fellows for owner Patrick Dillon, the seven-year-old Mr Saratoga gelding took the lead at the quarter-pole and won the Friday night finale in 1:53.4 by a length over the oncoming Jimmy Be Good.
Live racing continues Saturday evening at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Post time is 7:10 p.m.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from Woodbine Mohawk Park)