O'Brien Award winner Pemberton looked sharp in his first public appearance as a four-year-old, sealing his victory in a Friday (May 28) qualifier at Woodbine Mohawk Park with a :27.2 closing sectional.
The gelded son of Wheeling N Dealin was situated comfortably in third by trainer-driver Paul Walker while Arrakis (Louis-Philippe Roy) measured a soft 1:02.1 first half. With three-eighths to go, Walker angled Pemberton off the pegs, and he strode past Arrakis through a :29.2 third split before effortlessly accelerating clear to a 2-3/4-length score and completing his mile in 1:59 over sloppy going.
Last season, Pemberton won eight of 10 races — including three Ontario Sires Stakes Gold preliminaries and the $250,000 Super Final — and banked over $360,000 en route to year-end honours among Canadian sophomore trotting colts and geldings. He campaigns for his breeders, Christine and Brenda Walker.
With a combination of windy conditions and the sloppy surface prompting a four-second variant on the 15-race session comprised solely of trotters, only two other heats cracked the two-minute mark.
Multiple OSS Grassroots winner Highland Mowgli and driver Louis-Philippe Roy delivered a 1:57.1 performance to take speed honours for the entire session. The son of Archangel maintained an open-length lead throughout the mile, controlling splits of :28, :58.3 and 1:28.1 and maintaining four lengths of clearance over the late-emerging Fashion Frenzie at the winning post in his first appearance since October. Trainer Amanda Fine shares ownership with Highland Thoroughbred Farm.
Rubys Are Nice was the fastest three-year-old filly to take to the track by way of a 1:59.1 outing. Roy likewise sent the daughter of Muscle Mass to the front to control her own terms, and she evaded a mild late bid from Equinox Annie by 13 lengths. Robert Don Fellows trains the Blair and Erna Corbeil homebred, who was winless as a two-year-old but finished second in the Champlain Stakes.
Woodbine Mohawk Park's broadcast of the qualifying session can be viewed in its entirety below:
To view complete results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Friday Results – Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).