For the second straight week, older trotter Logan Park clocked the fastest time of all the entrants in a qualifying session at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
After a 1:57.3 performance with a 10-length cushion last Saturday (March 18) at Mohawk, Logan Park turned heads with a mile that was 15 lengths — or three seconds — better in his second charted mile of the season. Driver Doug McNair allowed the five-year-old to ramble through panels of :29.2, :59.2 and 1:27.1 before a :27.2 final quarter tripped the timer in 1:54.3. Two-time O'Brien Award winner Perfetto was second, more than six lengths in arrears for trainer / driver Dagfin Henriksen in his first appearance in five months.
Logan Park (Archangel - Rite Outa The Park) is now conditioned by Kyle Fellows for Outofthepark Stable of Rockwood, Reg Higgs of Strathroy and Arpad Szabo of Bradford, Ont. The winner of 12 races and more than $720,000 lifetime will look to add to those totals most likely competing imminently in the local Open and Free For All ranks.
After a 1:59.1 mile last Saturday, Atlantic Canadian powerhouse Therealprincess also dropped some serious speed on Friday with a sharp 1:56.3 score. With Jonathan Drury once again at the controls, Therealprincess allowed Wilcat Rocky (Steve Byron) to post a :28.4 first quarter before a right-line move from the pocket to the front. Georgia January (Jody Jamieson) attempted a move to the top through a :59.1 half but could not clear. Therealprincess held sway through a 1:28.3 third station and then fended off rivals by pacing home in :28 to win by a length and a quarter.
Carmen Auciello now trains four-year-old Therealprincess (Source Of Pride - Deviliciously Good), who was purchased after her 20-win Maritime career by Ontario's Frank Brundle.
The full video stream from Friday's qualifying session is available below. A note that Mohawk's next qualifying session will be held on Saturday, April 1 as the Campbellville, Ont. oval goes dark with no live harness racing from Monday, March 27 through to Friday, March 31.
For results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).