Trotters were in the spotlight during the Tuesday, June 2 qualifying session at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and it's safe to say that Bob McIntosh's trotting star Only Take Cash only wanted the front in her tilt.
A total of 11 dashes went postward during the session, which took place over a 'fast' track. There wasn't an abundance of action during the opening stages of most of Tuesday's qualifiers, but that was not the case in Race 10, which saw multiple starters, including the accomplished Only Take Cash, put forth bids for the early lead.
After having started from Post 4, Only Take Cash, the talented daughter of Cash Hall, was three-wide into the first turn, as she and driver Trevor Henry had no interest in tucking in during the :30 opening frame.
Henry and the talented miss would eventually clear their rivals and settle down along the pylons early in the second quarter. From there, the duo went on to cruise through the middle fractions in 1:00 and 1:29.3. Only Take Cash only needed to gear up a tad in the final frame, as she came home with a :28.1 kicker to win her 2020 charted debut.
Only Take Cash has, basically, done just that since she first started competing back in 2018. The mare has made 22 career pari-mutuel starts and has finished off the board just once. She sports a record of 15-5-1 to this point in her career, and has stashed away just over $787,000 in purses for her owners, Robert McIntosh Stables Inc., Dave Boyle, and Mardon Stables.
All eyes were on 2019 Hambletonian winner Forbidden Trade in Race 9, as the Luc Blais trainee was making his 2020 charted debut for pilot Bob McClure. That didn't matter to six-year-old Deweycheatumnhowe horse Dancer Hall, who trotted a front-end trip and went on to post a solid win for trainer Isabelle Darveau and driver Robert Shepherd.
Dancer Hall was intent on grabbing the early lead, as he raced overland to the point past the :29.2 opening quarter. Once on the engine, Dancer Hall cut the middle splits in :58.2 and 1:27.2 before coming home to hit the wire first in 1:56. The mile was the first charted line of the year for Dancer Hall, who has been a recent staple of the Preferred ranks at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The win time was also the fastest recorded during the Tuesday qualifying session.
McClure and Forbidden Trade had started from the rail in Race 9 and allowed the rest of the field to leave out in front of them. McClure and the Ontario-sired star watched the race unfold from second-last and stayed at the back of the pack for the remainder of the mile.
Three-year-old trotting colts and geldings comprised the first seven races of the docket, and a pair of sophomores recorded the fastest win times of the session for their respective class.
Oaklea Farm homebred Horse Trader looped to the lead from the pocket just before the half-mile pole and went on to win the second qualifier of the morning in 1:57.2 for driver Trevor Henry and trainer Paul Walker. The three-year-old Wheeling N Dealin colt started from the rail, sat in the pocket past the :29.4 opening quarter, and was first to the half in :59.3. From there, the Define The World winner went on to trot past the three-quarters pole in 1:28.2 and cruised home in the lane with a 29-second final quarter. The mile proved to be the fastest win time of the first half of the morning session.
The races for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings continued after the break, and in Race 7 it was the Stephanie Jamieson-trained and Jody Jamieson-driven Hot Wheelz that also won in 1:57.2, which equalled Horse Trader's win time for the quickest sophomore male trotting performance of the session. After having sat second for the better part of three quarters of the mile, Jamieson shot his charge to the lead and went on to win convincingly. Jody Jamieson owns the gelded son of Wheeling N Dealin.
To view the harness racing results for Mohawk's Tuesday qualifying session, click the following link: Tuesday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifying).