Woodbine Mohawk Park hosted four divisions of the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots opening preliminary for three-year-old trotting fillies on Tuesday, June 4. Of the winners, the regally-bred Miss Congeniality stole the show as she clung to a maiden-breaking victory in the third division.
The daughter of Kadabra daughter hung tough at the wire for a neck victory over a surging Galaxy Seelster. Petro Hall finished three lengths behind the dueling leaders, who stopped the teletimer at 1:57.
“She has everything to be good. The speed is in the family you know; R First Class, R Raised Emotions, and her, she just win in 1:57, that’s pretty good for her first start this year,” said trainer Ben Baillargeon. “She come first up and she got lonely a little bit, Sylvain said, just because she’s green, but we like her, we like her. I think as time goes on she might be able to step up to the Gold category.”
Baillargeon trains Miss Congeniality for breeders Tom and Elizabeth Rankin of St. Catharines, ON. The group enjoyed a prolific Gold Series season in 2017 with her full brother R First Class, who was the three-year-old trotting colt Super Final winner and division champion in his first year of racing. Baillargeon hopes Miss Congeniality can follow the same late-blooming path.
“She’s staked everywhere that mare; the Breeders Crown, the Elegantimage, you know, so I took my time with her—I’m still taking my time,” said Baillargeon. “We’re going to try to bring her along real nice and see how much she develops.”
In the first $23,150 Grassroots division driver James MacDonald tucked Class Angel in behind early-leader Vindaloo Hanover and watched that filly ring up a :27.4 opening quarter and a :58 half. When the pacesetter yielded to pressure from Kashe, MacDonald sent Class Angel to the outside and the filly moved strongly past the 1:27.3 three-quarters, turning for home with a one length advantage. Fan-favourite Cambridge Kate mounted a late challenge, but Class Angel stayed on task and hit the wire a one and one-half length winner in 1:58.1. Cambridge Kate settled for second and Kashe was three more lengths back in third.
“We were very happy with Angel’s effort tonight. She is a very tough, gritty filly that has matured a lot mentally over the past few months,” said Shawn Steacy, who trains the filly for numbered company 1187422 Ontario Inc. “Her manners have greatly improved and I was very proud of how she fought off the other filly late in the mile.”
The win came in Class Angel’s fourth start of the season and her ninth overall. The Archangel daughter made a pair of starts in the Gold Series as a two-year-old.
The second division saw Justice Society claim the lead heading for the halfway marker and never look back, sailing to a one-length victory in 1:56.4. Angelic Speed finished second and early leader Knickers was well back in third.
Driver Chris Christoforou piloted Justice Society to his first win for trainer Dany Fontaine and owners Ecurie Gaetan Bono Inc. and Vincenzo Cammisano. Tuesday’s test was the Justice Hall daughter’s fourth start as she made her career debut on May 6.
Lefkada capped off the list of first-time winners in the last division, popping out from behind pacesetter Splurge On Me at the top of the stretch and waging a battle with Halo Its Me on her way to a neck victory in 1:56.4. Halo Its Me had to settle for second and fan favourite Splurge On Me was five lengths back in third.
Scott Wray drove Lefkada to her first win in just her second lifetime start for trainer Jack Wray of London and his partner Tom Wray. The E L Titan daughter finished second by a neck in her debut at Woodbine Mohawk Park on May 23.
The three-year-old trotting fillies will make their second Grassroots start at Dresden Raceway, part of its popular Canada Day program on July 1.
The Ontario Sires Stakes will return to Woodbine Mohawk Park on Thursday, June 20 with the second Grassroots event for the three-year-old pacing fillies.
(with files from Ontario Sires Stakes)
To view Tuesday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Tuesday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.