The Ontario Sired Spring Series began at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday, April 10 with trainer Jason Libby sending out a pair of upset winners to sweep the three-year-old pacing filly divisions.
The series is for three-year-olds that were non-winners of $30,000 in 2025.
Shuri, sent postward at odds of 9-1 off a two-month layoff, won the first $18,000 division with a late-closing effort for driver Tyler Borth, kicking home from fifth off final-turn cover to defeat 4-5 favourite Esmeralda Du Lac (Louis-Philippe Roy) and Beach Wiggle (Travis Cullen) by three-quarters of a length in a new lifetime mark of 1:55.2.
A runner-up to future Open-class winner Lets N Joy N in the Blizzard Series in her last start at the end of January, Shuri paid $20.80 to win in her return race. The Cattlewash-Merga Hanover filly, who is now three-for-15 lifetime, is owned by Robert Leblanc of New York City, New York, Pryde Stables of North York, Ont., and William Beattie of Toronto, Ont.
In her first pari-mutuel start from the Libby stable after last appearing in Blizzard action, Dreamfair Diamond shot through at the pylons off a three-hole trip for a 24-1 stunner in rein to Mark MacDonald. Another winning daughter by Cattlewash, she lowered her lifetime mark to 1:54.3 winning by 1-3/4 lengths over Playsomethingsweet (Jody Jamieson) and the late-closing 7-5 favourite, Angels Among Us (Travis Cullen).
A $2 win wager on Dreamfair Diamond returned $50.80. The filly out of Mellow Yellow won her career debut in late November at Mohawk and is now two-for-eight lifetime for owner John Lamers of Mount Brydges, Ont.
Chalk players rejoiced in the divisions for the trotting fillies as Elbows Up ($6.20) and Bella Chica ($5.40) delivered on their pari-mutuel promises.
Elbows Up kicked off her sophomore season on the right foot, winning her division in a career-best 1:57.2 for trainer Shawn Steacy after driver Billy Davis Jr. looped the 2-1 bettors' choice around the first-quarter leader Blue Rare (James MacDonald) and took off by three lengths. R Halo (Jody Jamieson) finished second over Blue Rare.
Elbows Up also won her freshman debut last July and was a runner-up twice all while facing Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots competition, but made breaks in her four other rookie starts. The Muscle Mass-Vegas Virgin filly is owned by Ontario's Doug Clark of Mississauga, Mark Steacy and Cara Steacy of Landsdowne, and Guy Haskell of Guelph.
Last year's Prospect Series divisional champion Bella Chica got back on the winning track after a pair of rough starts last month as the 8-5 favourite battled past front-stepper Upgrade through the final turn and pulled 1-1/4 lengths clear in deep stretch to win in a career-best 1:58.3 with James MacDonald catch-driving. Press On Ballykeel (Tyler Borth) edged out Upgrade (Todd Ratchford) for the runner-up honours.
Trainer Corrie German shares ownership of the homebred filly by Lookslikeachpndale out of Wheely Twicky with Brenda German of Clinton, Ont. In a dozen career starts, Bella Chica has won four times, with her Spring Series score marking her first race over the Campbellville, Ont oval.
The second leg for the filly pacers and trotters will take place next Friday, April 17 with the $40,000 (added) finals on Saturday, April 25. The male divisions for pacers and trotters will get underway on Saturday, April 11.
Friday's card also included the second leg of a Pop-Up Series for trotters that started for a purse of $10,000 or less in 2026 with winners over $75,000 in 2025-26 not eligible. Optional $12,500 claimers were also eligible. Masterwork ($3.60) was a repeat winner in this series, taking his $14,000 division by a nose over upset-minded Like Chaos in 1:55.3 for driver Louis-Philippe Roy and trainer Jean-Francois Maguire. Goober Smack ($10.50), a runner-up to Masterwork last week, defeated the other opening-leg winner Victor Invictus by a neck in 1:57.1 with Jody Jamieson driving for trainer Susie Kerwood.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada; photo of Dreamfair Diamond winning on April 10)