Maplelea and Cast No Shadow scored first leg victories in the Blossom Series Monday night at Woodbine Racetrack.
A group of 15 three-year-old pacing fillies were split into two $15,000 divisions for the first round of the Blossom Series. The first division saw a familiar horse to series action continue her recent run of dominance.
Fresh off a sweep of the HPI Series, Maplelea and driver Rick Zeron picked up right where they left off with a 1:57 victory.
Sent off as the 3-5 favourite, Zeron elected to take Maplelea to the back of the pack and paced along seventh around the first turn. Down the backstretch, Maplelea moved off the pylons and would pick up cover to be perfectly placed second-over as the field turned for home.
In the stretch, Maplelea cruised by her rivals and paced home in :27.2 to win by two lengths in 1:57. Doctor Terror (Jody Jamieson) finished up well to take second, while Much Adoo (Paul MacDonell) finished third.
A three-year-old daughter of Sportswriter, Maplelea has now won four consecutive starts for owner/trainer Andrew Moore. Her 2015 record now sits at an impressive six wins from eight starts for earnings of over $73,000.
Maplelea paid $3.20 to win.
In the second division, Cast No Shadow and Chris Christoforou scored an impressive open-length victory at 5-1.
Beyonces Rockn (Scott Young), the 3-5 favourite, took control of the lead in the second-quarter, while Cast No Shadow paced along in fourth. Christoforou would get his charge out in moving and came first up around the final turn to challenge the favourite at the three-quarter pole in 1:27.1.
In the stretch, Cast No Shadow blew by Beyonces Rockn and stormed home strongly in :27 to win by 5-3/4 lengths in 1:54.3. Moonlit Dance (James MacDonald) just got up for second, while Beyonces Rockn had to settle for third.
A three-year-old daughter of Shadow Play, Cast No Shadow is trained by Des Tackoor for owner Millard Adams. After failing to win a race in four starts last season, Cast No Shadow is a now a perfect four-for-four in 2015 and has banked $31,500. Cast No Shadow returned $12.90 to win.
In order to be eligible to the Blossom Series, the sophomore pacing fillies had to be non-winners of three-races or $15,000 in 2014.
The second leg of the Blossom will take place next Monday (April 6).
In the Monday finale, the Jackpot Hi-5 was not hauled down by a single ticket so the jackpot carryover heads into a mandatory payout on Saturday, April 4. The Jackpot Hi-5 carryover pool stands at 847,458.26 and is not an wagering option on Thursday or Friday night's cards.
For full results from Monday night's card of harness racing at Woodbine, click the following link: Monday Results - Woodbine Racetrack.
(with files from WEG)