Three-year-old pacing fillies Oh A Legend and Fox Valley Tessa were repeat winners in the Niagara Series, which continued on Friday, Dec. 13 at Woodbine Mohawk Park with a pair of $17,000 divisions in the second leg.
Two of the three opening round winners were pitted against each other in this week's first division with the streaking Oh A Legend defeating Mikki Sixx in 1:53 flat.
Tyler Borth drove both of those winning fillies last time and was back aboard the Chris Bush-trained Oh A Legend for leg two, sitting midfield as the fractions went in :28.3, :56.4 and 1:24.3. Parked though the first quarter from the outside post 10, Mikki Sixx worked her way to the front for James MacDonald into the backstretch with series newcomer Cocco Puff Power and Jody Jamieson hot on their heels to take command. Mikki Sixx later retook the lead at the top of the stretch but Oh A Legend swept by off cover to win by 1-1/2 lengths with the late-closing Mother Mary up for third in rein to Louis-Philippe Roy.
Sent postward as the slight favourite, Oh A Legend paid $4.30 to win while notching her fourth straight victory. Bush co-owns the Bit Of A Legend N-O Narutac Rockette filly, who is now six-for-21 lifetime, with Bernie Klacer of London, Ont. The series score was the first of four winning drives on Friday night for Borth.
In the other division, Illinois invader Fox Valley Tessa powered to command heading to the final turn and held her ground through the stretch for her second series score in 1:53.4 for the husband and wife, driver and trainer team of Kyle and Amy Husted.
There was a slew of outside leavers with Miss Dutton widest of all from the post 10 and landing on top through a :27.2 first quarter for Roy over 4-5 favourite Always B Merry, who looped to the lead down the backstretch and hit the half in :57.1 with MacDonald at the lines. However, Fox Valley Tessa, who was on the move from seventh during the second panel, blew by heading to three-quarters in 1:25.4 and opened up two lengths turning for home. A resurgent Always B Merry threatened late but came up a neck short, settling for second to Fox Valley Tessa once again. Miss Dutton chased over two lengths behind in third.
Fox Valley Tessa was the second favourite at odds of 9-5 and paid $5.60 to win. The Time To Roll-Shes Da Bomb filly, who now has five career wins from 22 starts, was acquired after her Illinois stakes championship victory in late November by Husted Racing, John Schwarz Jr., Scott Rigg and Wilson Rigg.
The Niagara Series, which is for non-winners of $60,000 lifetime as of Oct. 31, 2024, will wrap up with a $30,000 added final scheduled for Mohawk's Boxing Day card on Thursday, Dec. 26.
Another Pop-Up Series began on Friday night, this one for male pacers that are non-winners of $30,000 in 2024 (minimum 15 starts) with horses not averaging $1,500 per start in 2024 (minimum 15 starts) also eligible. Batterup Hanover won the fastest of four $14,000 divisions in a new lifetime mark of 1:51.3 with MacDonald driving for trainer Ben Hollingsworth. The other divisions went to HF Pans Shadow in 1:54 for Ed and Ashleigh Hensley, trainer Scott West's Hunter Hill in 1:54.1 with Jimmy Gagnon aboard and Needabankloan in 1:53.4 in rein to Borth for the Raphael Bourassa stable.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada; Photo of Oh A Legend winning on Dec. 13)