The Team Burke homebred Pass Line kept her undefeated streak alive when stepping into Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold territory on Tuesday night (July 11), capturing the $101,300 second division of two for freshman pacing fillies at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Driver Louis-Philippe Roy secured the pocket for Pass Line as Odds On Platinum carved early fractions of :27 and :55.2. As the tempo slowed around the final turn and towards three-quarters in 1:24.3, Roy crept Pass Line from the pocket and soon darted to the lead into the stretch. Pass Line opened three lengths on her competition but endured a late challenge from Watching You in the final eighth, which she withstood by three-quarters of a length at the finish of a 1:51.4 mile. Coco Jo Jo finished third and Blazing Belle closed from last for fourth.
“Both times I’ve sat behind her she was just really impressive,” Roy said after the race. “Even last week, she showed me a little bit; she could do whatever I wanted her to do. She’s very nice to drive, so I was pretty confident going in there. I was really confident with her going in.”
Pass Line has won all three of her starts and now earned $66,650 for owners and breeders Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC. Ron Burke trained the filly stateside but shipped her to Dave Menary’s barn for her starts north of the border.
“I liked her as soon as she came in the door,” said Menary. “She came pre-made. I never had the opportunity to train her real, real fast yet. She’s a nice filly and she does everything really easy. I’ve been easy on her since she came and she’s making us look good.”
Off as the 6-5 favourite, Pass Line paid $4.50 to win.
Bettor Sisters swooped to the lead past the quarter and coasted to a 1:53.2 win in the $100,400 first division of OSS Gold. The daughter of Bettors Delight landed third to a :27.3 first quarter before driver Jody Jamieson brushed her to overtake leader Sweet Report up the backstretch. Leading past a :56.3 half and 1:24.4 three-quarters, Bettor Sisters continued to roll through the lane and hit the finish 1-1/4 lengths better than Century Kalimba, who led early but got shuffled and rallied from the rear to take second. This Magic Moment, the 6-5 favourite, levelled off from a first-over push through the far turn to settle for third and Wicked Weather finished fourth.
“She’s just so cool,” said Jamieson. “Her ears were flopping the whole way; she didn’t care. At the head of the stretch, she just took off again. I don’t know if that’s the breeding or that’s Dan [Lagace] and Brady’s training or what. Either way, it was pretty successful and I was real happy with her.
“She qualified good and she’s been an easy horse to train down; she just kept going forward,” Legace said after the race. “She did everything right [and] she did it all easy. But to beat these horses, you’ve got to be good so you can’t really tell that until they get tighter I think.”
Conditioner Dan Lagace co-owns Bettor Sister with Big Als Stables. She has won both of her starts and now earned $58,200. She paid $6.60 to win.
Tokyo Seelster took the $32,000 Preferred 2 Trot later on the card in 1:52.3. Also piloted by Louis-Philippe Roy, Tokyo Seelster sat third as 6-5 favourite Patriarch Hanover cut fractions of :27.4, :56.1 and 1:25 before his stablemate came marching first over. Tokyo Seelster drew to equal terms with Patriarch Hanover spinning off the bottom turn and then scooted clear to a 1-1/2-length victory with HP Mama B back in third.
Richard Moreau trains Tokyo Seelster, a 15-time winner and earner of $429,412, for owners Michael and Sam Sergi. He paid $42.50 to win in his upset.
Driver Sylvain Filion swept the pair of two-year-old events that went to post early on the Tuesday card. First he steered the International Moni filly Southern Moni ($13.50 to win) to a 2:00 victory by 3-1/4 lengths for trainer Blake MacIntosh. He then powered home with Benoit Baillargeon pupil Send It In Hanover ($5.20), a gelding by Greenshoe, to win by 5-1/4 lengths in 1:58.
To view Tuesday’s harness racing results, click the following link: Tuesday Results – Woodbine Mohawk Park.