The big names continued to hit up Woodbine Mohawk Park for qualifying action on Friday morning.
A total of nine qualifiers were contested over a ‘Fast’ track with the temperature just in the double digits (Celsius) and a slight breeze.
Double millionaire McWicked returned to Ontario and posted a big 1:50.3 mile in the morning’s first qualifier. The seven-year-old did the work himself on the front end, posting fractions of :28.1, :56.2 and 1:24.2, before sprinting home in :26.1. Bob McClure steered the 22-time winner and earner of over $2.3 million to victory for trainer Casie Coleman and owner SSG Stables.
McWicked, who won seven of 27 last year and banked nearly $600,000, was qualifying for the second-time this season. His first qualifier came on April 24 at Pompano Park.
Moving to star sophomore pacers, a talented group of three-year-old pacing fillies met in the morning’s final-qualifier.
Coleman trainee Alexis Faith and driver Doug McNair went coast-to-coast on the front to win her third qualifier of the season in 1:53.3. The daughter of American Ideal paced a :26.3 final-quarter to secure the win.
Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final champion Percy Bluechip also paced a :26.3 final-quarter to move up from third and finish three lengths back in second. The Dr. Ian Moore trainee was qualifying for the third time this season, but for the first time in Ontario, as her prior two appearances came at Southern Oaks Training Center in Florida.
A daughter of Shadow Play, Percy Bluechip used Friday’s qualifier as a tune-up for next Saturday’s (May 19) SBOA Stakes, as eliminations were not necessary this weekend with only nine horses entered.
Paul Reid trainee Kendall Seelster finished fourth in the same qualifier. The daughter of Shadow Play was qualifying for the first time this season and never left the pylons, pacing her own mile in 1:55.1 (final quarter of :26.4).
Kendall Seelster and Percy Bluechip became rivals last season with several OSS battles and Grand Circuit match-ups. Kendall Seelster won four of 11 and banked $453,985 with her best-finishes being a win in the Champlain and second in the $500,000 Shes A Great Lady. Percy Bluechip went five-for-nine during her rookie season and banked $440,795. Her most notable victory came in the $225,000 OSS Super Final.
Not to be overlooked, Shadow Play filly Play The Bell was also a winner on Friday morning. The Coleman-trained three-year-old was a wire-to-wire winner in 1:54.1.
Similar to Percy Bluechip, Play The Bell was also prepping for next Saturday’s $115,792 SBOA Stakes. The Ontario-sired filly won three of 11 starts last season and made $192,761. Her most notable victory came in the Battle of the Belles at Grand River Raceway.
Switching to trotters, Tom Durand trainee Seven And Seven made his four-year-old debut and scored a 1:56.2 victory (last-quarter in :28.2). The 2016 William Wellwood Memorial winner went two for 12 during his three-year-old campaign, banking $120,248.
Seven And Seven enters the older ranks with six-wins and $347,016 in career earnings.
The next qualifying session at Woodbine Mohawk Park will take place Monday morning (May 14) at 10 a.m.
Here is the full list of Friday’s winners. To view the charted lines, click the following link: Friday Qualifiers - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
[with files from Woodbine; photo, clockwise from top left: McWicked (New Image Media); Seven And Seven (New Image Media); Alexis Faith (Mike Lizzi); Play The Bell (Dave Landry)]