Two-time defending older male trotter of the year Logan Park won his 2025 qualifying debut on Monday, March 31 at Woodbine Mohawk Park to launch his seven-year-old campaign that will include a trip overseas this spring to compete in Sweden's famed Elitloppet.
Logan Park headlined the 13-race qualifying session on Monday morning, winning in 1:57.2 over a track rated 'good' with a two-second variant.
In the day's sixth qualifier, Quebec Hanover, a Preferred winner last month, took control off the gate for driver Louis-Philippe Roy with the season-debuting Logan Park leaving from the outside to secure a two-hole trip in rein to Doug McNair. Quebec Hanover led the field of six trotters through even opening panels of :29.4 and :59.3 before Jody Jamieson tipped recent stateside competitor Spitfire Oversees out from third approaching the 1:28.4 third quarter mark. Locked in the pocket through the stretch, Logan Park found room at the pylons late in the lane and the double millionaire caught Quebec Hanover at the wire, with his final quarter clocked in :28.2 in the co-fastest mile of the morning. Spitfire Oversees finished 1-1/4 lengths back in third.
"'Logan' was very good," trainer Kyle Fellows told Trot Insider after the qualifying race. "We are happy with the way things went this morning. Doug gave him a great drive. He seems to be coming back good and we’re happy with his progression."
During a career-best season in 2024, Logan Park won 12 of his 19 starts and earned $940,240 for owners Outofthepark Stable of Rockwood, Reg Higgs of Blenheim and Arpad Szabo of Bradford, Ont. The Archangel-Rite Outa The Park gelding took a mark of 1:49.2 winning the Allerage Farms Open Trot at The Red Mile, making him the fastest Canadian-sired trotter ever.
The connections of Logan Park have accepted an invitation to race in the Elitloppet at Solvalla Racecourse on Sunday, May 25 with the trotter's regular reinsman McNair confirmed to drive.
"He’ll come back and qualify again next week and then hopefully get a couple starts into him before we head to Sweden," said Fellows.
Logan Park's two-time O'Brien Award-winning full sister Willys Home Run, who was scratched from the same Monday qualifying race, will instead make her four-year-old debut in Friday morning's session.
"We didn’t think it would be fair for her to qualify against all those Open aged trotters. She'll qualify later this week on Friday," said Fellows. "We’re happy with her in the way she’s come back so far this year."
A replay of the full qualifying session is available below.
To view Monday's complete qualifying results, click the following link: Monday Results (Qualifiers) - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada; photo of Logan Park winning last year at Mohawk)