Qualifiers continued at Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday with 2013 O'Brien Award runner-up Bax Of Life winning her season's debut.
Six-year-old trotting mare Bax Of Life and driver Chris Christoforou followed gelding Tough Mac through fractions of :29.3, :59.4 and 1:29 before trotting a final quarter in :29.1 to win her first qualifier of the season in 1:58.4. Closing from a three-hole trip in a matching final panel, the season-debuting Rene Dion trainee Intense America finished three-quarters of a length behind in second. Tough Mac finished two lengths back in third. Stallion Hes A Demon was fourth in his second qualifier.
Owned by trainer Jerry Duford and Joanne Wray of Campbellville, Ont., Bax Of Life won four races last year including her Breeders Crown elimination. The Windsongs Legacy-Bax Machine mare also earned top three finishes in the Armbro Flight, two Miss Versatility legs and the final, and the Allerage Trot during a season dominated by O'Brien winner Maven. Bax Of Life added $155,326 to her bankroll and took her mark of 1:52.2 at The Red Mile. The 17-time winner has earned $390,639 lifetime.
While Bax Of Life won her first 2014 qualifier, her younger half-brother Six Bax ($12.30) later picked up his first pari-mutuel victory of the season during Friday evening's 11-race card.
The five-year-old Kadabra gelding advanced first over from fourth down the backstretch in the $14,000 seventh race trot en route to a four and a quarter length win in 1:57.4. Jack Moiseyev drove for trainer Paul Shakes and owners John Newell of Waterloo and Ryan Rozema of Elmira, Ont.
The win was the 10th lifetime for the $100,000-plus earner and first in seven seasonal starts.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link:
Woodbine Qualifying Results / Woodbine Race Results