Preferred pacing mare Tells On A Roll turned in the fastest qualifying mile of the sunny, spring session at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Monday, April 28 that included season-debuting O'Brien Award winner Nijinsky.
Making her second qualifying start this year, the Jody Cullen-trained five-year-old distaffer Tells On A Roll prevailed off a pocket trip for driver Travis Cullen, scooting away in the final eighth to a late three-length lead in 1:52.2 over pacesetter P L Ozzy (:28.4, :57.1, 1:24.4) and Nijinsky, who tracked in third throughout the mile.
A daughter of Tellitlikeitis out of Have Rock Willroll, the sub-1:50 pacing mare was a 10-time Preferred winner and banked $273,130 in 2024 for owners Paul Sanders, A1stable and Ron Cullen.
Shortly after the qualifiers concluded, the connections of the Tony Beaton-trained North America Cup champion Nijinsky announced that Winbak Farm has partnered with the original owners, West Wins Stable, John Fielding and Mark Dumain, ahead of a Grand Circuit stakes season and stud deal.
A pair of Blake MacIntosh-trained three-year-old pacing colts eligible to this year's North America Cup each won their second straight qualifiers, as New York Sire Stakes champion Courts On Fire (Doug McNair) took the lead approaching the half then held off Brigade splitting through and early leader The Magic Moment in 1:53, while Grand Circuit stakes winner Sterling Choice (Louis-Philippe Roy) romped to a 10-length triumph in 1:53.3 over fillies Little Papi and Wicked Cruizer.
Sterling Choice ranks 13th at odds of 32-1 in TROT Magazine's 2025 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book while Courts On Fire also cracked the top 20, assessed at 48-1 odds.
McNair drove another Sires Stakes winner during Monday morning's qualifying session as Ontario Super Final champion trotting filly Lil Sweet scored in 1:56 flat. After joining the Susie Kerwood stable for her second sophomore outing, the Green Manalishi S-Sweetspellosuccess filly led by two lengths through a rated :59.2 half before ramping it up with a :27.4 third panel and widening to 5-1/2 lengths at the end over Grassroots champion Tellers Choice.
A winner of a quarter of a million dollars last year during her freshman season while trained by Dave Menary, Lil Sweet joined the Kerwood stable for lessee M And L De/Armitage Farm after a qualifier in early April at Florida's Southern Oaks Training Center under the care of John Butenschoen.
A replay of the live feed from Monday's qualifiers is available below.
To view Monday's complete qualifying results, click the following link: Monday Results (Qualifiers) - Woodbine Mohawk Park
(Standardbred Canada; photo of Tells On A Roll winning last year at Mohawk)