An Ontario Sired Spring Series showdown is brewing as sophomore trotting fillies Elbows Up and Bella Chica will be looking to complete a sweep of the three-week event when they face off in next weekend's final after both were repeat winners in the preliminary action at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday, April 17.
The series is for three-year-olds that were non-winners of $30,000 in 2025, with the trotting fillies competing in round two on Friday night in addition to the pacing fillies.
As Press On Ballykeel (Tyler Borth) and Stonebridge Chips (Doug McNair) traded turns on the lead early in the evening's first $18,000 division for filly trotters, Elbows Up looped the top pair with Billy Davis Jr. directing the winning three-wide move past the quarter pole. The 1-5 heavy favourite won in a new lifetime mark of 1:56.1 by 2-1/4 lengths, holding strong when Press On Ballykeel launched from the pocket in the stretch. Acrobatic (Todd Ratchford) out-finished Stonebridge Chips for third.
Shawn Steacy trains the Muscle Mass-Vegas Virgin filly, who was an Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots winner as a rookie and is now three-for-nine in her career. Elbows Up is owned by Doug Clark of Mississauga, Ont., Mark Steacy and Cara Steacy of Landsdowne, Ont., and Guy Haskell Guelph, Ont.
She returned $2.70 to win.
Bella Chica trotted to the top from the outside post six in her division for catch-driver Bob McClure and held a comfortable lead until deep stretch when pocket-popping Just Business (Scott Young) made it a close call but ultimately came up a nose short in the win photo. Bella Chica took a new lifetime mark of 1:56.3. R Halo (Jody Jamieson), the 7-5 favourite, finished third.
A homebred for trainer Corrie German and co-owner Brenda German of Clinton, Ont., the Lookslikeachpndale-Wheely Twicky filly was a multiple Prospect Series winner as a rookie and improved her record to five wins in 13 starts.
Sent postward as the second favourite at 8-5 odds, Bella Chica paid $5.40 to win.
New winners emerged among the pacing filly group with Angels Among Us and Playsomethingsweet topping their series rivals.
Overcoming an outside post eight start in the first pacing filly division, Angels Amoung Us charged to command into the first turn for driver/co-owner Travis Cullen and lasted on the lead, winning in a career-best 1:52.3 with late-closer Aunt Gertrude (Anthony Haughan) cutting her big stretch margin down to 1-1/2 lengths on the line. Pocket-sitter R Sports Delight (Doug McNair) rounded out the top three.
Trainer Jodie Cullen and her husband, Ron Cullen, also share ownership of the winner along with partner Keith Hannah of Waskada, Man. The homebred filly by Shadow Play out of Alberta's 2016 Champion Aged Mare Sing Like An Angel is now nine-for-15 since hitting the track in late December.
A beaten favourite in round one when she finished third, Angels Amoung Us was sent postward as the 5-1 third choice and paid $13.80 to win.
In the final division, Playsomethingsweet and driver Jody Jamieson overtook pacesetter Beach Wiggle (Travis Cullen) from the pocket in the stretch en route to a 1:54.3 victory by one length, with Weslyn Hanover (James MacDonald) and Josies Joules (David Kelly) coming on for second and third, respectively.
A daughter of Cattlewash and Play Lady Play, the chestnut filly is trained by Paul Cameron, who shares ownership with Jayme Cameron of Guelph, Ont., and Arnolds Horse Shack of Mississauga, Ont. The victory was her third in 15 career starts.
Playsomethingsweet, a round one runner-up, paid $7.10 to win as the 5-2 second choice.
The late Daily Double belonged to "Double J" as Jamieson followed up his Ontario Sired Spring Series win with a victory in rein to Goober Smack in a $20,000 Pop-Up Series final to close out the Friday night card. The Susie Kerwood-trained trotter hauled down Masterwork (Louis-Philippe Roy), denying the favoured front-stepper a series sweep, winning by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:55.3 for owner S&R Racing Stable of Acton, Ont. Coming off a victory in round two of the series, Goober Smack was the 9-2 third choice in the final and paid $11.70 to win.
The series was 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.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada; photo of Elbows Up winning on April 17)