McNair Unleashes 'Mayhem'

MayhemHanover-370-01.jpg
Published: June 16, 2020 08:54 am EDT

Although everyone was on their best behaviour during the Tuesday, June 16 qualifying session at Woodbine Mohawk Park, driver Doug McNair did his best to unleash 'mayhem' during the compact, six-race docket.

McNair and the Pepsi North America Cup eligible Mayhem Hanover took to the track in Race 5 and lined up in Post 7 over the 'fast' track.

Mayhem Hanover, who has been ranked as a 48-1 shot in TROT Magazine's 2020 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, got away second for McNair, who stayed to the inside past the :28.4 opening quarter.

'Mayhem' was unleashed early in the second panel, as the three-year-old son of Sportswriter looped to the lead well before he clicked off the opening half in :57.2.

Mayhem Hanover chugged along on the engine past the 1:25.4 three-quarters pole, at which point he stepped it up more. McNair and his charge opened up multiple lengths in the stretch and went on to win decisively by 16 and three-quarter lengths. Mayhem Hanover closed with a sharp :26.1 final panel and nailed the wire in 1:52.

In 2019, Mayhem Hanover closed up his season very well for trainer Gregg McNair and owners Scott and Clay Horner. The colt captured his Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Final, won four of his 11 starts overall, and banked $117,000 in purses.


Mayhem Hanover, pictured in 2019 while in victory at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Although Race 2 was just a morning mile, an OSS graduate got a 'dream' trip behind a Hambletonian winner and was able to upset the apple cart.

The Jacques Dupont-trained and Sylvain Filion-driven Dream Nation lined up in Post 1 for the second qualifier of the morning. To his extreme outside, in Post 6, was the 2019 Hambletonian winner, Forbidden Trade, who was set to make his third qualifying performance of the delayed 2020 campaign.

Dream Nation left out from the rail, but it was Forbidden Trade that exited the gate just a tad quicker. The O'Brien Award winner crossed over and trotted past the :29 quarter pole with Dream Nation tucked in the pocket.

Multiple starters made breaks behind Forbidden Trade and Dream Nation, but the leading pair wasn't phased, as they went down to the half-mile indicator in :57.3 and eventually clicked off three quarters in 1:26.2.

After an extended two-hole ride, driver Sylvain Filion tipped Dream Nation out in the stretch, and the son of Archangel was ready to test Forbidden Trade.

Dream Nation was fresh when he came up alongside Forbidden Trade, and he had what it took to surpass his high profile foe. Bob McClure opted against getting into a qualifying battle in deep stretch and settled for second with Forbidden Trade.

Dream Nation got the job done courtesy of a sharp :27.2 final quarter and stopped the clock in 1:54.1. The margin of victory was one and a quarter lengths over the 'fast' track.


Dream Nation, pictured in 2019 while in victory at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Dream Nation has put together quite a nice scorecard from his 15 career starts. The gelding's seven wins and $273,000 in purses is also complemented by his trio of second-place finishes and pair of third-place efforts.

Dream Nation is owned by Les Ecuries Dorleans Inc., ny- Ecurie CSL, Gestion Levesque 2005 Inc., and Marc Camirand.

Replays of Mohawk's Thursday qualifiers appear below. Please note that Dream Nation's race starts at roughly the 39-minute mark, while Mayhem Hanover's qualifier starts just before the one hour and nine-minute mark.

To view the harness racing results from Mohawk's Tuesday qualifying session, click the following link: Tuesday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).

Tags
Have something to say about this? Log in or create an account to post a comment.