While the status of his namesake, Sidney Crosby, is up in the air for Team Canada's Olympic gold-medal hockey game this weekend, five-year-old trotter Sid The Kid will chase gold of his own on Sunday, Feb. 22 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Trained by Ben Baillargeon, Sid The Kid, a son of Alarm Detector-Miss Congeniality, will look to rebound from an off-key seventh-place performance last time out when he goes postward in the $40,000 Open Trot, slated as the ninth dash on the 10-race card.
Doug McNair, who recently surpassed the 5,000-win mark in his decorated career, will pilot the bay gelding.
“He’s been a very nice horse,” said McNair. “I got to drive him last year and you could tell he’s a nice one. The talent is definitely there.”
Tabbed as the 5-2 second choice on the morning line, Sid The Kid has compiled a 13-13-8 mark to go along with $293,350 in purse earnings from 69 lifetime starts. Bred and owned by Tom and Elizabeth Rankin of St. Catharines, Ont., he went 5-9-4 from 33 races in 2025 and is two-for-four so far this year.
Sid The Kid won back-to-back Opens on Jan. 11 and Jan. 18, the former a 6-1/2-length score and the latter a gutsy head victory. He earned his first career win on May 23, 2024, a three-length triumph in 1:56.4 at Mohawk.
“He’s one that always tries, he goes out there and you know that you are going to get that 100 per cent effort,” said McNair. “He can race any way. You can put him on the front and he’s tough, but he’s actually better off the helmet.”
McNair, in the sulky for the consecutive wins last month, expects the trotter to bounce back from the off-the-board finish on Feb. 8.
“Ben is a great trainer and knows what he is doing," he said. "That is the first time I ever drove him where he didn’t perform like himself, but as he’s shown in the past, he can shrug those off and be at the top of his game next time.”
The decorated driver is also hoping Canada’s men’s hockey team, with or without an injured Crosby, can net Olympic gold in Italy hours before the first race gets underway at Mohawk.
“It is a very good race, some nice horses, for sure," he said. "Six horses, but everyone seems to have a chance to win. Hopefully, we work out the right plan and get it done – would love to see Team Canada do the same thing.”
First post is set for 6:15 p.m.
To view Sunday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from Woodbine; photo of Sid The Kid winning on Jan. 11)