The seven-year-old Big Jim mare So Much More sized up her competition with an in-hand victory in the $48,000 Free For All Pace at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday night (Feb. 25) – one of six for driver James MacDonald.
MacDonald floated So Much More off the wings to race third as Sandbetweenmytoes freewheeled to the point in :26.2. Sandbetweenmytoes failed to settle up the backstretch and scorched a :53.4 half with Saulsbrook Victor keenly following from the pocket. MacDonald made his move with So Much More around the final turn, and caught brief cover from Saulsbrook Victor by three-quarters in 1:21.2 before lifting flight.
So Much More surged to the lead before the eighth pole and coasted to the finish from there, scoring a measured win by a length in 1:49.3 with Wheels On Fire rattling home for second. Saulsbrook Victor settled for third and Ario Hanover rallied for fourth.
“Tonight I was looking at the program and said, ‘Hopefully I can get her a nice trip and if she gets a good chunk, I’ll be happy,’” MacDonald said after the race. “It’s like she was still mad over last week. She wanted to show them she’s got more if she needs. Every time I think that’s it, maybe she’s in too tough or it's too tall a task, she just finds a way to be even more special than she usually is.”
Trainer Don Beatson co-owns So Much More with Kenneth Beatson and Cole England. The 2022 O'Brien Award winner nabbed her 59th win from 130 starts and has now earned $1,285,235. She paid $12.10 to win.
So Much More’s win was the start of a natural hat trick for Keith Waples Driver of the Year James MacDonald, which added to his three other wins scored earlier in the card. He won with Southwind Patron (1:56.1 winning mile; $3.60 to win), American History (1:50.2; $5.10) and The Will To Play (1:53.3; $17.30) before taking the evening’s feature. Following the feature win, MacDonald uncorked back-to-back victories with Cadillac Bayama (1:52.1; $5.40) and JJ Xavier (1:52.1; $10).
Earlier on the Saturday card, driver Colin Kelly sat at the precipice of the eight-figure plateau. And with a fourth-place finish behind Victor Puddy trainee Legion Seelster, Kelly entered the $10-million club. Kelly, driving since 2012, has registered million-dollar seasons every year since 2018 and has won over 1,600 from over 10,000 starts.
To view Saturday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results – Woodbine Mohawk Park.
the 9th race
Regardless of if you call it a Free For All, an Invitational, an Open, or a Preferred, the horses in the 9th race were the overall most talented group of Standardbreds that have appeared in a harness race in North America in 2023.