Silver Label joined the Fillies & Mares Preferred pacing ranks at Woodbine Mohawk Park to kick off her five-year-old campaign and collared the early season's dominant distaffer Tells On A Roll in an action-packed Friday, May 10 edition.
Doug McNair worked out the winning trip in the $36,000 Friday feature aboard the Grand Circuit stakes-winning millionairess, who is trained by Nick Gallucci for owner/breeder Millar Farms of Stouffville, Ont.
Silver Label, her season-debuting stablemate Prohibition Legal and the Jodie Cullen-trained Tells On A Roll, winner of her six Mares Preferred starts this year, were all handicapped with the outside posts in the eight-horse field and jockeyed for early position off the gate. From farthest out, Travis Cullen fired Tells On A Roll to the front first over Silver Label before the first turn with Prohibition Legal parked and pressing on for Louis-Philippe Roy through a :26.1 opening quarter.
As Prohibition Legal worked to clear Tells On A Roll down the backstretch, another mare came to play as Dabarndawgswatchin and Tyler Borth swept up from fourth to take over the top spot through a contested :54.1 half. The action continued as Dabarndawgswatchin led to three-quarters in 1:22.1 with the favourites back out and rolling.
A first-up Tells On A Roll took over command as they raced into the stretch with Silver Label chasing off her cover and closing in. Gaining ground with every stride through the final eighth of the mile, Silver Label got her nose to the wire first, defeating a game Tells On A Roll in 1:50.2. Angostura Hanover rallied off the winner's back to nab third prize a half length back for Trevor Henry while longshot Style For A Mile and Sylvain Filion closed widest of all from last to finish fourth just ahead of Prohibition Legal at the pylons with Dabarndawgswatchin in between.
Silver Label paid $5.10 to win as the 3-2 slight favourite in her return race.
The Bettors Delight-Hidden Gem mare is coming off a half-million campaign in which she won eight of 19 races including a Lady Liberty stakes record 1:47.3 mile at The Meadowlands. A winner of half of her 42 career starts, she now boasts a bankroll totalling $1,379,023.
In the very next race, Prohibition Legal's sophomore sister This Magic Moment (Big Jim-Catch A Wish) lowered her lifetime mark to 1:52 with a post 10 start posing no problems for the back-to-back winner, driven by James MacDonald for Gallucci and Millar Farms.
The Early Pick-5 on Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park will feature a carryover of $51,755.68. The carryover comes into play after there was no winning tickets on Friday night’s Late Pick-5. The Early Pick-5 starts on Race 1 with a 20-cent minimum and 15 per cent takeout.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada)