Devils Arch made his first career appearance in the Open Trot at Woodbine Mohawk Park a success as he prevailed in the $40,000 feature class for his third straight victory on Sunday, Feb. 22.
Louis-Philippe Roy hustled the gelding off the gate to enter the first turn with the lead, then yielded to Mr Bluebird (Travis Cullen) as that rival pushed forward to the front at the quarter in :27.1. Mr Bluebird strolled to the midway point in :57.4 but picked up speed and carved out a 2-1/2-length advantage as he raced to three-quarters in 1:26.4 with R Peaky Blinders (Tyler Borth) looming first-over on the final turn. The pacesetter left three lengths to make up for Devils Arch at the eighth pole, but as Mr Bluebird drifted out, Devils Arch motored at the pylons and got up for a half-length victory in 1:54.1. R Peaky Blinders finished third.
Devils Arch has upped his game in recent weeks, winning two straight high-level optional-claiming races for owners Jean Allaire of Montreal, Que., Jean-Francois Maguire of Carlisle, Ont., G T Stables of Saint-Placide, Que. and Jocelyn Marois of Thetford Mines, Que. That group claimed back the son of Archangel-Bobbi Jos Ex after losing him for $50,000 on Dec. 22, paying the same price on Jan. 4 to return him to the barn of trainer Maguire. The six-year-old has won four of seven attempts this year and is now 21-for-75 lifetime with $285,036 in bankroll. He paid $5.80 to win.
Mohawk kicked off a new Pop-Up Series on the card, with the three divisions going to Beach Tour ($3.30), Bayfield Beach ($8.50) and Punchesinbunches ($10.70). The series is for pacing horses and geldings that have started for a purse of $9,000 or less this year or are non-winners of $1,000 per start this season in a minimum of five outings. Winners over $50,000 in 2025 are ineligible.
To view Sunday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Sunday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada)