Millionaire Nickle Bag made his return to the racetrack on Friday morning (Dec. 31), when Woodbine Mohawk Park hosted a fog-drenched slate of qualifying races.
The 54-time winner, who last raced in August, turned in a 1:56 mile in his return outing, finishing fourth behind Going Fast and driver Trevor Henry. Going Fast stalked early pacesetter Major League N through a first three-quarters in 1:27.2 before splitting rivals in deep stretch and holding off a late charge from Reagan Blue Chip by a head in 1:55.4. Major League N finished third while Nickle Bag, whom James MacDonald contently rated off the pace, only missed by 1-1/4 lengths.
While Nickle Bag's return to action was arguably the headline of the seven-race qualifying slate, Mayhem Like Me turned in the fastest performance of the morning, winning by a widening 6-1/4 lengths in 1:55.3 in his first public outing under the care of Carmen Auciello. The sophomore Sunshine Beach gelding rode the pocket behind Lobel Bruiser through a :57.1 first half before vacating the second spot and steadily edging clear through the stretch in line to Jonathan Drury.
Kameran Hanover's 1:57.1 mile was the best of the trotters, and he too edged out of the pocket in the final furlong to win by a widening length over the late-rallying Hesohot Hanover. Chris Christoforou drove the seven-year-old Donato Hanover entire, a 16-time winner in his career, for trainer Camilla Christoforou.
The broadcast of the entire qualifying session is available below.
To view Friday morning's complete results, click the following link: Friday Results – Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifier).