A quartet of SBOA Stakes finals for Ontario-sired three-year-olds will be held on Saturday night, May 11 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The SBOA Stakes is the season kick-off event for Ontario’s top three-year-olds. The SBOA Stakes was introduced many years back for fillies, while the colt and gelding events were held for the first time last year.
The four SBOA Stakes finals have been carded as Race 4 through 7 on Saturday’s 12-race card. Below are some of the horses to watch in Saturday’s feature events and the fields drawn.
Three-Year-Old Filly Trot (Race 4)
O’Brien Award winner Willys Home Run (Post 5, James MacDonald) didn’t miss a beat in her season debut, taking one of two eliminations by three lengths in 1:56.1. The elimination scored by Willys Home Run was capped off by a wicked :26.3 final quarter, as she rallied from sixth for the score. It was the seventh win in 11 career starts for the Kyle Fellows trainee. A daughter of Archangel, Willys Home Run swept the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold season last year, winning six times, including the Super Final.
R Liza (Post 3, Jody Jamieson) took advantage of miscues by prominent rivals to post an 8-1 upset in last Friday’s other elimination. The Susie Kerwood trainee made a break in last year’s Super Final after having won a Gold division the start prior. The daughter of Muscle Mass has a career record of five wins from nine starts.
The SBOA Filly Trot final goes for a purse of $138,400. The complete field is listed below in post position order.
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Morning Line
1. Love Those Legs - Chris Christoforou - Luc Blais - 4-1
2. Billie Jean Queen - Sylvain Filion - Gabriella Sasso - 15-1
3. R Liza - Jody Jamieson - Susie Kerwood - 7-2
4. Radical Legacy - Doug McNair - Gregg McNair - 5-1
5. Willys Home Run - James MacDonald - Kyle Fellows - 6-5
6. P L Rainbow Dash - Bob McClure - Katie Huskinson - 15-1
7. Flirty Dancer - Scott Young - Paul Reid - 10-1
8. No Need For Alarm - Trevor Henry - Gregg McNair - 8-1
9. Sue Anne - Louis-Philippe Roy - Eric Nadeau - 6-1
10. Evolving - Ttyler Borth - Kyle Fellows - 15-1
AE1. Lexus Angel - Trevor Henry - Shannon Henry - 15-1
Three-Year-Old Filly Pace (Race 5)
Last season’s standouts, O'Brien Award winner Pass Line (Post 4, Louis-Philippe Roy) and runner-up Its A Love Thing (Post 5, James MacDonald), both appear poised for more success after their stellar rookie campaigns.
Pass Line kicked home in :27 to win her elimination in 1:51.1. The Dave Menary-trained daughter of All Bets Off was making her season debut after winning 10 of 13 starts as a two-year-old and finishing second in the Breeders Crown.
Its a Love Thing, also trained by Menary, came up just short in her elimination despite a :25.3 final quarter. The daughter of Bettors Delight raced off the pace and rocketed home from seventh to finish a half a length behind winner Sorcha Seelster (Post 6, Bob McClure) in 1:51.1.
The John Pentland trainee, Sorcha Seelster, shot home in :26.1 for the career-best victory over last year’s Shes A Great Lady Stakes winner.
The SBOA Filly Pace final will be carry a purse of $141,500. The complete field is listed below in post position order.
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Morning Line
1. Coco Jo Jo - Tyler Borth - Tony Beaton - 6-1
2. Ann - Jody Jamieson - Ian Moore - 15-1
3. Wicked Weather - Jonathan Drury - Tony Beaton - 20-1
4. Pass Line -Louis Philippe Roy - Dave Menary - 6-5
5. Its A Love Thing - James MacDonald - Dave Menary - 2-1
6. Sorcha Seelster - Bob McClure - John Pentland - 5-1
7. Odds On Platinum - Sylvain Filion - Ian Moore - 10-1
8. Betterwithglasses - Trevor Henry - Vic Puddy - 15-1
9. Lightning Lizzie - Brett MacDonald - Murray Brethour - 8-1
10. Blazing Belle - Doug McNair - Gregg McNair - 20-1
Three-Year-Old Colt Trot (Race 6)
The SBOA Colt Trot was the lone event to not require eliminations. A field of nine will square off Saturday, with a pair of last year’s stars, Willowtime (Post 7, Bob McClure) and Griff (Post 9, James MacDonald), making their season debuts.
Most eyes though will be focused on the Bob McIntosh trainee Convoy Hall (Post 4, Sylvain Filion), who is a perfect six-for-six to start his career. The gelded son of Muscle Mass will face his toughest challenge on Saturday, having won all six of his starts convincingly against lower competition. Convoy Hall’s last start was a career-best 1:55.2 victory in the Ontario Spring Series final on April 27.
The SBOA Colt Trot final will go for a purse of $124,000. The complete field is listed below in post position order.
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Morning Line
1. Soar Higher - Chris Christoforou - Matt Bax - 9-2
2. Mrstery Deal - Todd Ratchford - Gaetan Hebert - 10-1
3. Salem Seelster -Louis-Philippe Roy - Luc Blais - 8-1
4. Convoy Hall - Sylvain Filion - Bob McIntosh - 3-1
5. Elegant Resolve - Doug McNair - Matt Bax - 6-1
6. What About Elmo - Tyler Jones - Paul Reid - 10-1
7. Willowtime - Bob McClure - Mark Etsell - 2-1
8. Masstercraft - Trevor Henry - Kyle Bossence - 10-1
9. Griff - James MacDonald - Murray Brethour - 5-1
Three-Year-Old Colt Pace (Race 7)
Pepsi North America Cup eligible Funtime Bayama (Post 3, Sylvain Filion) is the headliner in the SBOA Colt Pace. The Richard Moreau-trained Funtime Bayama posted a sharp 1:51.2 elimination score, pacing home in :25.4. The gelded son of Hes Watching was making his season debut after a strong rookie season in which he won four of seven starts, never finishing outside the top three.
Enforcer (Post 4, Doug McNair) got things all his own way in the other elimination, posting soft fractions before a :27 kicker to win in 1:54. It was also the season debut for the Gregg McNair trainee.
Storm Shadow (Post 10, Bob McClure), another prominent Pepsi North America Cup eligible, will have to overcome the outside starting spot on Saturday. The Dr. Ian Moore trainee, a third-place finisher in last year’s Breeders Crown, was making his seaaon debut.
Unrivaled Hanover (Post 6, Jonathan Drury), Always A Thrill (Post 8, Jody Jamieson) and Do Better (Post 9, James MacDonald) are also Pepsi North America Cup eligible horses competing in Saturday’s SBOA final.
The purse for the SBOA Colt Pace is $127,000. The complete field is listed below in post position order.
Post - Horse - Driver - Trainer - Morning Line
1. Four By Four - Brett MacDonald - Carmen Auciello - 20-1
2. Best Night Ever - Louis-Philippe Roy - Tony Beaton - 20-1
3. Funtime Bayama - Sylvain Filion - Richard Moreau - 6-5
4. Enforcer - Doug McNair - Gregg McNair - 8-1
5. Stonebridge Thrill - Tyler Borth - Tony Beaton - 15-1
6. Unrivaled Hanover - Jonathan Drury - Shawn Steacy - 12-1
7. Wikipedia - Trevor Henry - Tony Beaton - 6-1
8. Always A Thrill - Jody Jamieson -Bob McIntosh - 15-1
9. Do Better - James MacDonald - Bob McIntosh - 5-1
10. Storm Shadow - Bob McClure - Ian Moore - 9-2
AE1 Why Wouldnt Ya - Travis Cullen - Dave Brown - 20-1
Post time for Saturday’s 12-race card is 7:10 p.m.
To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from Woodbine; Photo of Willys Home Run winning her SBOA Stakes elimination)