The spotlight was on the older conditioned mares Friday evening at Woodbine Racetrack and the popular gals delivered in three $30,000 first leg divisions of the Damsel Pacing Series
.
The series is for four and five-year-old pacing mares that had earned less than $150,000 lifetime by the end of last year.
Jolting Kate earned her first win on Canadian soil while kicking off the series.
Driver Scott Zeron sent the popular Jolting Kate three-wide early on in a battle for the lead and eventually cleared to command past the :27.1 opening quarter mark. The former Pennsylvania Sire Stakes competitor led the field past the half in :56 and three-quarters in 1:24.1 before opening up two and a half lengths on her foes down the stretch. Jolting Kate hit the wire in 1:55.3 while second over Three Charms (Chris Christoforou) prevailed in a photo for place over early trailer Miss Sand Creek (Paul MacDonell).
Jolting Kate paid $4.30 to win. The Village Jolt-Just Wait Kate mare is trained by David Menary for Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. She has yet to finish worse than fourth in all five of her four-year-old starts, including a third place showing in the Mares Open last time out. Friday's win was her seventh lifetime in 30 starts and pushed her career bankroll to $136,260.
Canadian owned and trained Bee Fullof Steinam also delivered on her pari-mutuel promise in the second split.
Under the guidance of Paul MacDonell, the 2-1 co-favourite Bee Fullof Steinam swept to command from fifth after the :29.2 opening quarter and cruised past middle fractions of :58.4 and 1:26.4.
Meanwhile, Lets Go Get Em (Anthony MacDonald) ran into some racing trouble in third and began to back through the field with Whirlwind (Doug McNair) moving first up from in behind.
Still strong on top, Bee Fullof Steinam led the field around the final turn where the pocket-sitting Shine N Shimmer (Jody Jamieson) broke stride and moved into the safety lane. Bee Fullof Steinam then began to open up daylight on the field as she paced home for the 1:55.4 victory. Rock For Glory (Scott Zeron) finished second off a three-hole trip while WEG winter series star D Gs Tinkerbell (Luc Ouellette), the other popular miss in the field, closed well from the backfield for third.
Bee Fullof Steinam paid $6.30 to win. Dean Nixon handles the training duties for Ontario owners Icr Racing of Pefferlaw, B. Michael Timpano of Phelpston and Anthony Leber of Orillia. The Life Sign-Caliterra mare now boasts three wins and two thirds on her five-race four-year-old record. The winner of eight races in 17 starts lifetime increased her earnings to $68,680.
Shipping in from the U.S., Oceans Motion captured the final and fastest division, stamping herself as the one to beat in next weekend's second leg.
With Jody Jamieson in the sulky, Oceans Motion settled into fourth when the wings of the gate folded while early leaver Mach Dismissal (Anthony MacDonald) and Ole Miss (Billy Davis Jr.) traded turns on top through opening splits of :28.2 and :58.
Oceans Motion launched her attack at the half and applied pressure to slight favourite Ole Miss past three-quarters in 1:26.3. The top two then battled head-to-head all the way to the wire with Oceans Motion gaining the upper hand in the final strides to prevail by half a length in 1:54.1. Synergy Seelster (Doug McNair) finished back in third off a three-hole trip.
Oceans Motion paid $5.40 to win as the second choice. The five-year-old Camluck-CR Charisma miss, a former starter in the Ontario Sires Stakes program, joined the Casie Coleman stable after competing in the Cape & Cutter Series at the Meadowlands. The winner of two races in six starts so far this year is owned by New Yorker Robert Lovett. Lifetime, Oceans Motion has won 16 races in 54 starts while earning $190,898.
Later on the card in regular racing action, the multiple stakes-winning British import Laneside Lexus kept her North American record in mint condition with a 1:55 two length victory. Billy Davis Jr. drove the 1-5 favourite for trainer Corey Johnson and owner Neville Bainbridge of Barnard Castle, England. The eight-year-old Hopping High-Goldilocks mare, who won her debut at Rideau Carleton Raceway over a week and half ago, returned $2.40 to her backers for a $2 win ticket.
Trainer Richard Moreau tripled up on the 12-race card with favourites B Low Zero ($4.70), Zorgwijk Jock ($6.20) and Natural Habitat ($4.40). All three winners boasted margins of more than three lengths with Sylvain Filion doing the driving. Moreau's total win count for the day was five thanks to an additional two wins at Flamboro Downs.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Racetrack.