A 10-pack of qualifying races took to the course at Mohawk Racetrack on Friday (May 13), and the session was highlighted by the 2016 charted debut of Nvestment Bluechip, who has been pegged as the 14-1 fifth pick in Trot Magazine’s 2016 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.
The three-year-old son of Shadow Play helped kick off the morning session in Race 1, which was contested over a ‘good’ track that was rated one second slow due to overnight rain.
Regular pilot Jody Jamieson was up behind Nvestment Bluechip, and the pair lined up in Post 6 in the six-horse field.
The duo got off the wings of the starting gate the quickest and were first to the :28.4 opening quarter and :58.2 half-mile marker.
Nvestment Bluechip faced pressure from his foes on the final turn. After having relinquished the lead on the final turn, Jamieson had the bay colt out and overland in third quarter. The duo trailed the leader by two length as the three-quarters clock sprang to life in 1:27.2.
Nvestment Bluechip quickly erased his deficit, as he and Jamieson were back on top by two and three-quarter lengths by the time they pulled the field into the homestretch.
Nvestment Bluechip continued to come home with a good clip in the final quarter. The duo drew off to a five and a half-length win in 1:55.4. Nvestment Bluechip’s final quarter was clocked in 28 seconds flat.
David Menary trains Nvestment Bluechip for Menary Racing Inc. (of Rockton, Ont.), Michael Guerriero (Brampton, Ont.), Denis Breton (Welland, Ont.) and Thomas Kyron (Toronto, Ont.).
Race 3 saw Could It Be Magic record the first qualifying win of her 2016 season. The Kadabra filly left from Post 3, cut all the fractions (:29.3, 59, 1:28.3) and trotted home in for a three and a quarter-length win in 1:59.3 for trainer/driver Wayne Henry. Could It Be Magic won six of her 10 starts last season as a two-year-old and banked over $195,000. The three-year-old is owned by Fred Brayford (of Alliston, Ont.) and the Henry Stable (Arthur, Ont.).
To view the charted results from the Friday morning qualifying session at Mohawk, click the following link: Friday Results – Mohawk Racetrack (Qualifiers).