This year’s Celias Counsel Series appears to be as wide-open as a series could be considering there have been four divisions contested in the first two legs of the event, and there hasn’t been a repeat winner.
Flexible Woman, much to the delight of the favourite players, clicked as the 4-5 favourite in the first of the two $15,000 divisions. Steve Byron hustled the daughter of Federal Flex-Womanlee to the lead from Post 8 and she front-stepped to a career-best clocking of 1:56.4. She parked past the quarter pole in :27.1 before touching down on the lead and slicing out middle splits of :56.3 and 1:27.1. A :29.3 closing quarter was enough for her to hold on for the half-length score over K D Bella. Third prize went to Serendipitious.
Sent off as the 4-5 favourite, the John Bax pupil won for the second time in her sophomore season after going 0-for-10 as a rookie. Glengate Farms of Campbellville bred and co-owns the youngster with Parkhill Stud Farm of Peterborough, Ontario. She paid $3.90.
Magic Feeling, on the other hand, lit up the toteboard thanks to her 50-1 upset in the second division. Forwardly placed early in the mile, Magic Feeling rallied past Wings Of Ballykeel in the lane en route to halting the teletimer in 1:57 for the tandem of driver Mike Saftic and trainer Frank O’Reilly. Wings Of Ballykeel settled for the runner-up award, while the show dough was earned by Just Call Me Lady.
O’Reilly share ownership on the three-year-old daughter of Kadabra-Dibrizzi with John Fielding of Toronto, Ontario and Isidoro Russo of Montreal, Quebec. It was a maiden-breaking decision for the lightly-raced miss. She paid $103.00.
Multiple handicappers managed to come up with the winning combination of 2-8-6-10-9 in Thursday’s Jackpot Hi 5 wager at Woodbine Racetrack, and as a result a massive carryover in excess of $355,000 will spill into Friday’s pool.
Larrys Mist, who was sent off as the 2-1 favourite in Thursday’s finale, won by a length in 1:53.2. Next best were Historian (9-1), Casimir Low Gear (26-1), Better Art (2-1) and Agu (13-1).
To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Woodbine Racetrack.