Harvest Series champion Just Daisy kicked off the opening round of the Niagara Pacing Series on Friday night (Dec. 10) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
After hitting the board in last Saturday's Harvest final, Awesome Hill took the other $18,000 division of the Niagara as favourites swept the first leg.
The series is for three-year-old pacing fillies that are non-winners of $60,000 lifetime as of October 31.
Just Daisy ($5.30) delivered as the 8-5 bettors' choice, winning by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:54 flat with Chris Christoforou in the sulky for trainer/owner Terry Fritz.
Just Daisy swept to the lead after a :28.3 opening quarter and never looked back, clocking middle splits of :57.4 and 1:26.4 before widening to as much as 3-3/4 lengths into the stretch. Second choice JM Betonsix (Sylvain Filion) was the runner-up after firing to the lead from the outside post seven early on then following Just Daisy the rest of the way when she rushed from third to first at the three-eighths mark. Village Jade (Jody Jamieson) shook loose late and got up for third.
Unraced as a two-year-old, Just Daisy (Sunshine Beach-O See My Bo) has won half of her 18 starts this year while banking $78,005.
Trained by Chantal Mitchell, Tom Hill's homebred filly Awesome Hill ($2.60) lived up her 1-5 favourite status in the second split with a 1:54.1 winning effort in rein to Doug McNair.
Belina (Sylvain Filion) and Millies Million (Travis Cullen) traded turns on the lead through a :28.3 first quarter before Awesome Hill swept to command from third. She reached the half in :58.4 and led to three-quarters in 1:27.2 en route to matching her lifetime mark, with Belina closing within one length to finish second. State Of Mind (Trevor Henry) snagged third prize in a three-way photo.
A daughter of Sunshine Beach out of Taxi Fare Hanover, Awesome Hill is four-for-eight this year with a bankroll of $49,814 after going winless in three starts as a freshman.
In other action, So Much More ($2.40) tracked down back-to-back winner Trafalgar (Doug McNair) in a $26,000 high-end fillies and mares conditioned pace for a 1:51.4 victory with James MacDonald in the bike for Don Beatson, who trains and co-owns the five-year-old daughter of Big Jim with Kenneth Beatson and Cole England. The win was the 40th lifetime for So Much More -- nine of those wins have come this year, with eight in the Mares Preferred class.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.