Favourites Definingthe Moment and Resilience were victorious in the opening leg of the Harvest Series for Ontario-sired three-year-old pacing fillies on Friday night, Nov. 8 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Definingthe Moment (pictured above) was the fastest winner of the two $17,000 divisions, fighting off foes down the stretch to prevail by a neck in 1:53.2 for driver James MacDonald and trainer Roger Mayotte.
Leaving from post three in the field of six, 1-5 favourite Definingthe Moment established the lead heading to the first turn and set fractions of :28.4, :57.4 and 1:26.1 without a challenge until the stretch. Turning for home, Keira Seelster (Jonathan Drury) went first-up from third to pressure the leader while pocket-pursuer First Cast (Doug McNair) sought room at the pylons, but Definingthe Moment kept them at bay and held off a late-rallying Rocks Shadow (Travis Cullen) in a :27.1 final quarter. First Cast edged out Kiera Seelster in the show photo one length behind.
After going winless in nine starts as a two-year-old, Definingthe Moment has put together a sophomore record reading 5-2-1 from 16 starts and increased her lifetime earnings to $64,420. Mayotte shares ownership of the Control The Moment-Palm Beach Hanover filly with Ben Mudry of Toronto, Ont., Louis Liebenau of Boynton Beach, Florida and Larry Curtis of Burlington, Ont.
Definingthe Moment paid $2.60 to win.
Resilence was parked through the opening quarter in her division but the Eric Nadeau trainee dominated her foes once she made front, winning in 1:53.3 for driver and co-owner Louis-Philippe Roy.
With her sights set on the lead out of post three in her first race in nearly five weeks, Resilence cleared to command just past the :28.4 mark. Once on top, there was no catching the 2-5 favourite as she maintained a clear lead through middle splits of :58 and 1:25.4 before opening up three lengths en route to the victory. Landslide Control (James MacDonald) recovered from an early miscue and closed from the back of the field, which was scratched down to just five fillies, to nab the runner-up honours over the oncoming Big Nipper (Mike Horner).
After winning four of seven stakes starts as a freshman, the Jimmy Freight-Mia Seelster filly won an Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots division earlier this year and tonight notched the second victory of her sophomore season in eight outings for Roy and his Quebec-based partners, Ecurie Francis Richard Inc. and Ecurie Csl. The victory lifted Resilience's career earnings to $177,636.
She paid $2.90 to win.
The series, which is for non-winners of $30,000 this year as of Sept. 30, 2024, will continue with the second leg next Friday, Nov. 15 and the $30,000 (added) final on Friday, Nov. 22.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada)