Continuing to prime for her three-year-old season, O'Brien Award winner Idyllic stepped onto Mohawk Racetrack's seven-eighths-mile oval Friday morning during the raceway's qualifying session and put forth another strong effort
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A total of seven dashes went forward during the session, which was raced over a 'good' track which was given a two-second variant by the presiding Ontario Racing Commission judges.
Pilot Scott Zeron subbed in aboard Idyllic in Race 5 for driver Mark MacDonald. Idyllic was making her second qualifying effort of the season. Zeron was driving in place of MacDonald, who was involved in a very serious racing accident the night before over the Campbellville, Ont. oval.
During the qualifier, Idyllic, a daughter of American Ideal, left from Post 7 and took a two-hole trip through opening-half fractions of :27.3 and:57.1. Zeron asked the winner of $805,000 on the final turn, and the pair took over the lead and opened up a two-length advantage prior to clicking off the third timer in 1:26.2. Having scooted home via a :27.2 final panel, Idyllic went on to record a three-and-a-quarter-length victory in 1:53.4.
The James Morrison-trained and Luc Ouellette-driven Life Sign colt Lyons Elite, who is rated at odds of 80-1 in Trot Magazine's 2011 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, finished fourth to Idyllic and was individually timed in 1:55.3 in what was his seasonal charted debut.
Earlier in the session (Race 3), the Ben Baillargeon-trained and Mario Baillargeon-driven Talespinner came from well off the tempo early, caught the leaders, and trotted off to a nine-and-three-quarters-of-a-length victory in 1:57.1.
Race 7 saw the Travis Umphrey-trained and Rick Zeron-driven Blended Whiskey put in his first charted line since September 4, 2010. The pair left from Post 5, cut the fractions in :28.1, :58.1 and 1:28.1 and closed in :28.2 for a neck victory in 1:56.3.
For results from the Friday qualifying session from Mohawk, click the following link: Friday Results - Mohawk Racetrack (Qualifiers).