The opening leg of the Miss Versatility Series was featured during Monday’s 12-race program at Woodbine Racetrack, and fans were treated to a record-setting performance by Maven.
With Yannick Gingras in town to drive last year’s Breeders Crown champ, Maven rallied to an eye-catching victory in 1:52 – a clocking that shaved two-fifths of a second off Mystical Starlight’s track record dating back to 2006. The performance equaled the Canadian record set by Buck I St Pat at Mohawk Racetrack in 2010.
Maven tucked into fifth in the early going while One More Ginny led the way through fractions of :25.4, :55.1 and 1:24.2. Maven commenced her first-over rally on the way to the half, and she was looming large on the outside as the field turned for home. She used a :27.1 closing quarter to win by 3-1/4 lengths over One More Ginny, with Personal Style taking home third prize.
Sent off as the 1-5 favourite, the Jonas Czernyson-trained Maven won for the 16th time in her career. The four-year-old daughter of Glidemaster-M Stewart, who races for W Donovan of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, has banked just shy of $930,000 to date.
Beatgoeson Hanover took the other division for driver David Miller in 1:55.3 despite being forced to sweep past five foes in the final quarter of her $30,000 assignment. Miller sat sixth while Dorsay sprinted to the quarter in :27.3. Pembroke Heat Wave tipped out of the four-hole when the speed slowed in the second quarter, and she quickly rushed to the lead at the mid-way point in :59. She was still in command at the three-quarter pole in 1:27.1, but Beatgoeson Hanover turned on the afterburners and roared home in a :27-second clip to win by a one-length margin over Bax Of Life. Third went to Real Babe.
Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman trains the five-year-old daughter of Andover Hall-Beat The Wheel for Neven Botica of Perth, AUL. Sent off as the 4-5 favourite, Beatgoeson Hanover extended her winning streak to four-in-a-row while racking up the 23rd win of her career. She’s banked $1,016,059 to date.
On the undercard, Watkins front-stepped to a victory in the $34,000 Preferred Trot. Doug McNair brushed the Richard Moreau pupil to the lead at the mid-way point and cruised to the win by 1-3/4 lengths over a hard-closing Amigo De Grande. Guiltywithanexcuse rounded out the top three finishers in the nine-horse affair.
The six-year-old son of Striking Sahbra-Sarong Hall improved his 2013 record to 3-4-4 from 14 starts with the win while pushing his lifetime earnings to $411,663. Matthew McManus of Burlington, ON owns the 25-time winner who was sent off as the even-money favourite.
Blissfull Bro toted a four-race winning streak into his $17,000 assignment on Monday evening, and he had little problem extending the streak to five consecutive wins. The three-year-old son of Blissfull Hall-Turolas Angel, who started the year with four consecutive wins at Rideau Carleton Raceway, didn’t let the change of scenery bother him one iota. He got away third and sat just off the leaders for most of the mile before popping out in the lane en route to the score in 1:52.1.
Luc Ouellette guided the colt to the win for trainer Antonio Valente and owner/breeder Fernand Brodeur of Laval, QC. The win improved his lifetime record to 6-1-2 from 12 trips to the track while pushing his lifetime earnings in excess of $33,000.
To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results – Woodbine Racetrack.