Mohawk Racetrack's Thursday morning qualifying session saw the return of a Maple Leaf Trot winner and the victorious 2010 charted debut of a Pepsi North America
Cup-eligible colt.
After having not raced a charted mile since a preliminary leg of Woodbine Racetrack's Glorys Comet Trotting Series on January 3, the Rod Hughes-trained San Pail graced the Campbellville oval for the fourth race on the nine-dash qualifying docket.
In rein to Randy Waples, the six-year-old San Pellegrino gelding left from Post 7 and was first to the opening quarter in 30 seconds. The duo passed the half-mile marker in 59 seconds before clicking off the third call in 1:28.2.
Waples and San Pail were on top by five lengths at the three-quarter call and extended that lead to more than six lengths at the head of the lane. Cruising home through the stretch, the pair would go on to record an 11-length victory in 1:57.1.
San Pail has hit the board in 45 of his 77 career starts, and the career winner of 23 races and $1,079,965 banked his biggest-ever cheque last year when he put in a gritty, victorious effort before the Mohawk faithful in the $720,500 Maple Leaf Trot.
It may have been during the last race on the morning card, but NA Cup-eligible Kyle Major surely turned a few heads after he put in a 1:56.3 gate-to-wire victory by 16 lengths for driver Jody Jamieson and trainer Shawn Robinson.
The Art Major colt started from Post 3 and cut the fractions in :29.2, :59.2 and 1:28.4 before coming home with a :27.4 final panel.
From seven starts in 2009, Kyle Major failed to notch a stakes victory in his freshman campaign, but did notch a pair of tallies in the win column. The colt hit the board in the $720,860 Breeders Crown; earned a cheque in a division of the Champlain Stakes, and took his mark in 1:52.4 at Mohawk.
To view the charted harness racing results from this morning's qualifying session at Mohawk, click here.