Warm May temperatures, clear skies and a slight breeze set the scene for Friday morning’s nine qualifiers at Mohawk Racetrack. Many notables took to the track Friday and turned in solid performances in preparation for their upcoming campaigns.
Ontario Sires Stakes champion Betting Line delivered a fantastic 1:52 effort in his second qualifier of 2016. The Casie Coleman trainee inherited the lead rounding the first turn, following a break by the original leader, and posted an opening quarter of :28.3.
After middle fractions of :57.3 and 1:26.1, Betting Line fired home in an eye-catching :25.4 for driver Jonathan Drury to win his qualifier by 11 lengths. The three-year-old son of Bettors Delight won six of 12 starts and banked over $540,000 last season.
Betting Line is a top contender for June’s Pepsi North America Cup.
Another Coleman trainee turned in an impressive performance Friday, as Reverend Hanover cruised around the Campbellville oval in 1:51.1. The four-year-old gelded son of Sportswriter was making his second qualifying appearance of 2016.
Driven by Steve Condren, Reverend Hanover posted fractions of :27.4, :56.3 and 1:24.2 before charging home in :26.4.
Rick Zeron trainee Shamballa, who was making his first appearance of the season, used his signature final-quarter kick to come from fourth to finish second and pace his mile in 1:51.3. The six-year-old gelding was charted with a :26 final quarter.
Reverend Hanover, a winner of over $507,000, and Shamballa, a winner of over $488,000, are expected to be heavy hitters in the older pacing category this season.
On the trotting side, Flanagan Memory won his qualifier in a sharp 1:54.2. The Rene Dion trainee was forced to qualify after making a break in his season debut on April 25.
Flanagan Memory and driver Chris Christoforou went coast-to-coast for the victory, posting fractions of :28, :58, 1:26.4 and a final quarter of :27.3. The six-year-old son of Kadabra is looking to build on a solid 2015, which saw him bank $299,769.
Sharp efforts from three-year-olds was a reoccurring theme Friday morning.
Dave Menary trainee Sintra paced home in :26 to win his qualifier in 1:55.2. The sophomore gelded son of Mach Three made just three starts as a rookie and was shut down following the Battle of Waterloo eliminations.
Three-year-old trotting fillies Majestic Presence and Jangone used good final-quarter speed to win their respective qualifiers.
Trained by Issac Waxman, Majestic Presence rallied from fourth with a :27.4 final quarter to win by a nose in 1:58.1. The daughter of Majestic Son raced primarily in OSS Grassroots events as a rookie.
Dagfin Henriksen trainee Jangone was a very good-looking 1:56 winner. The three-year-old daughter of Johnny William went gate-to-wire and trotted home in :27.3 for a 16-length win.
Jangone was last year’s OSS Grassroots champion in the two-year-old filly trot division.
Twin B Thong made it three winners from the Casie Coleman barn Friday morning. The three-year-old daughter of Sportswriter took the lead in the third-quarter and shot home in :26.3 for a 1:55.2 victory.
Twin B Thong finished second in last year’s OSS Super Final for two-year-old pacing fillies.
Dr. Ian Moore trainee Good Will Hanover won the final qualifier of the day in 1:57.3. The three-year-old daughter of Big Jim used a :27.3 final quarter to win the qualifier by three-quarters of a length over OSS rival Southwind Shania.
Good Will Hanover started in last year’s OSS Super Final, while Southwind Shania finished third in the OSS Grassroots Championship.
The next qualifying session at Mohawk is scheduled for Monday morning (May 9).
Here is the full list of winners from Friday’s qualifiers.
Q1: Sintra – 1:55.2 (Jody Jamieson/Dave Menary)
Q2: Flanagan Memory – 1:54.2 (Chris Christoforou/Rene Dion)
Q3: Betting Line – 1:52 (Jonathan Drury/Casie Coleman)
Q4: Majestic Presence – 1:58.1 (Trevor Henry/Issac Waxman)
Q5: Jangone – 1:56 (Dagfin Henriksen/Dagfin Henriksen)
Q6: Reverend Hanover – 1:51.1 (Steve Condren/Casie Coleman)
Q7: Twin B Thong – 1:55.2 (Steve Condren/Casie Coleman)
Q8: Silence Son – 1:57.4 (Anthony MacDonald/Anthony MacDonald)
Q9: Good Will Hanover – 1:57.3 (Dr. Ian Moore/Dr. Ian Moore)
To view the qualifying results from Friday morning at Mohawk, click the following link: Friday Results – Mohawk Racetrack (Qualifiers).
(WEG)