Driver Trevor Henry collected his 7,000th career victory on Friday night (Nov. 6), celebrating the milestone moment with 11th race winner Gias Surreal at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Henry moved within reach of the milestone after scoring back-to-back wins in the seventh and eighth races with the favoured trotting mare Shes Got Pizazz ($5.30) for conditioner Alan Fair and 47-1 longshot Furiosa ($96), who was loaded with pace closing from third-over to prevail by a neck for her trainer/owner William Hamm.
The Arthur, Ont. reinsman earned his 7,000th career win in dramatic fashion as Gias Surreal ($26.20) circled the 11th race field of seven in deep stretch for a 12-1 upset. The four-year-old So Surreal mare prevailed in 1:51.4 by three-quarters of a length over Born A Dragon (Travis Cullen) and Ivana Flybye N (James MacDonald).
Trained by Don Lindsey, Gias Surreal is an 18-time winner owned by James Graham, Edward Peron, Lee Winters and Thomas Mariano.
A leading driver across Ontario for many years, Henry has ranked among the top drivers at Woodbine Entertainment over the last several seasons and currently ranks fifth for wins (149) at Mohawk Park in 2020. His career-best season for wins was 2012 with 533, while his highest money-earning season was 2017 when his mounts earned more than $5.9 million.
Now a member of the 7,000-win club, Henry has driven the winners of $65.6 million over the course of his career spanning more than three decades.
The Friday night card featured Harvest Series action for Ontario-sired three-year-old colts and geldings. The first legs for the pacers and trotters included three $17,000 divisions for each gait. The series is for non-winners of $30,000 during the 2020 season as of September 30.
National Sport ($2.40) dominated the pacing set, leading all the way through panels of :27, :56.2 and 1:24.2 en route to victory in 1:52.1 as the 1-5 favourite. Driven by Sylvain Filion for trainer Richard Moreau, the Sportswriter gelding won by two lengths over the late-closing Beyond Better (Henry) and Walk It Talk It (Scott Coulter). The victory was his third in a dozen sophomore starts for 1362313 Ontario Ltd.
The other pacing divisions ended in close calls with Beach Demon ($8.60) and Cold Creek Cabo ($8.10) stealing the glory.
Beach Demon converted a pocket trip into a 1:52.4 score, finishing just a neck in front of Perseus Seelster and favourite Wind Blown with James MacDonald aboard for Carmen Auciello, who had a training triple on the card. The gelded son of Sunshine Beach is owned by Aaron Waxman and Fox Racing Inc.
Driven by Scott Young, the Dali gelding Cold Creek Cabo closed off cover to catch the favoured Delightful Terror, prevailing by a half-length in 1:52.2 for trainer William Slack and Cold Creek Standardbred.
Erinwood Equine's Cavalier George ($3.30) was the fastest winner on the trot, clocking the mile in 1:56.1 in rein to Louis-Philippe Roy. Fresh off a maiden-breaking victory last week, the popular Johnny William gelding carved out fractions of :28.1, :58.1 and 1:27.4 on his way to his second straight triumph for trainer and breeder Andrew Carrs. Franks Angel (Jason Ryan) followed one length behind in second and Rjs Invictus (James MacDonald) completed the top three finish order.
Angel Nation ($5.30) closed off the cover of Lexus Markus and defeated that foe by a half-length in an earlier division for driver James MacDonald and trainer Ted MacDonnell, who co-owns with Legendary Standardbred Fa. A runner-up in the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final last time out, the Archangel gelding crossed the finish line first here in 1:56.3.
Los Ballykeelamigo ($13.80) gave driver Jody Jamieson a birthday win as he came through along the pylons off a two-hole trip to win the final division in a career-best 1:58.1 ahead of the oncoming Tymal Riggs and favourite Oxford Hall. The Ballykeel Racing homebred by Amigo Hall is trained by Joshua McKibbin.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.