North America Cup eligible Fool Me Once earned his third consecutive victory with a 1:50.4 career-best effort in a $25,000 Three-Year-Old Pace at Mohawk Racetrack on Saturday night.
Driver Sylvain Filion fired the post seven starter Fool Me Once to command and never looked back as they carved out fractions of :27, :56.1, and 1:23.3. Fool Me Once turned back first over Panpero Firpo (Robert Shepherd) into the stetch and began to draw away from the field to win by more than four lengths with :27.1 final quarter speed. Favourite Captive Audience (Randy Waples) finished second after rallying home off third-place finisher Tarpon Hanover's (Scott Zeron) cover. The Diplomat champion Varadero Hanover (Jack Moiseyev) was fourth and Panpero Firpo earned the final paycheque in fifth.
Fool Me Once paid $7.70 to win as the 5-2 second choice.
Mark Austin trains the Art Major-Fool That I Am colt, who is now three-for-three as a sophomore after winning four of his 10 freshman starts. Among his victories at two were Bluegrass and International Stallion Series divisions at The Red Mile. Saturday's triumph lifted his bankroll to nearly $160,000 for the Mark Austin Stables Inc. of Fergus, Ont. and Daniel Smith of London, Ont.
Six of the eight starters in the field are eligible to the North America Cup, including Fool Me Once, who has been assigned odds of 35-1 in Trot Magazine's Spring Book, and the second through fourth place finishers.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.