The opening Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold leg for three-year-old pacing fillies took place Saturday (June 4) at Woodbine Mohawk Park, and the Shawn Steacy-trained filly In The Mood was ready for an upset, winning the $199,900 division in record time after going off at 14-1.
Leaving from post six, Sylvain Filion piloted In The Mood, a daughter of Sunshine Beach, into third through a :55 half, sitting off a pace set by 2021 O’Brien Award finalist Silver Label, who was taken to the to the front by Mark MacDonald from post 10.
“With the two big favourites drawing the 10 and 11, I knew that made it so you had to be close to the front,” said Steacy. “And the six-hole is just about the perfect spot to leave from.”
Silver Label was overtaken by her stablemate and O'Brien winner Prohibition Legal, the odds-on favourite, heading into the stretch before In The Mood blasted to the front late, pacing the last quarter in :26.3 to win by a length.
“She’s just like a little sports car,” said Steacy. “She can just zip off the wing and give a good punch coming home, and that’s exactly how it worked out.
The win was the first in OSS at the Gold level for In The Mood, owned by Steacy’s parents and Hudson Standardbred. She paid $30.80 to win. She paced the mile in 1:50.3, an all-age OSS record that lowers the previous mark by a fifth of a second. The record was previously set by Western Wish and matched by Scarlett Hanover, Dabarndawgswatchin and Prohibition Legal.
“To win a big Sires Stakes division and have my parent own a piece of the filly and one of our biggest owners, how can you not say it’s exciting?” said Steacy.
In The Mood made one start last year at the Gold level and then dropped to the Grassroots, where she won two divisions and finished fourth in the Grassroots Championships.
“It’s shaping up so she should be a player throughout the year in the Golds,” said Steacy. “She’s such a smart filly. She takes care of herself really well and she’s really sound. I think that’s what’s going to make her last throughout the year
Prohibition Legal, driven by James MacDonald finished second, the first OSS defeat for the Big Jim filly. Louis-Philippe Roy drove Love That Smile to round the top three, the fourth on-the-board OSS finish for the daughter of Sportswriter. She now has over $166,000 in career earnings for owners M&s Racing Stable, Gilles Caouette, Marc Gelinas and Rene Bourassa.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Ontario Racing)