The novice trotting fillies made winning look easy in a trio of $22,850 Grassroots divisions at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Tuesday, July 13.
Angelonia opened the Ontario Sires Stakes event with an effortless front-end score from Post 5. The fan favourite and driver Tyler Moore rolled through fractions of :29, 1:00 and 1:29, repelling a challenge from Tijuana Seelster on their way to a one and one-half length victory in 1:58.3. Classic Magic got up for second and Tijuana Seelster settled for third.
Guelph resident Moore drives Angelonia for his father, Dr. Ian Moore of Cambridge, ON and Frank Cannon of Sanford, FL, who purchased the daughter of Archangel from last fall’s London Virtual Yearling Sale for $52,400.
“I always look at a few trotters every year and I’ve tried to prod a few partners along to get one, but nobody ever wants one,” said Dr. Moore. “So this year Frank Cannon, who is the primary owner on Tattoo Artist, said, ‘Let’s get a trotter Doc’. I said, ‘I’m in, no problem’. So I went looking and I looked at her at Tara Hills and I liked her, and Frank liked her breeding, and so we said we’d go $50,000. She’s been a little bit of fun.”
After a pair of qualifiers in mid-June the partners were aiming Angelonia at the July 6 Gold Series, but a minor foot problem required a shoeing adjustment and slowed the filly’s arrival on the provincial stakes scene.
“I said, ‘I think I’ll just take my time with her’, so I didn’t put her in it, but that’s what our original plan was,” said Dr. Moore, adding that a step up to the Gold might be in the filly’s future. “That’s the fastest she’s been by three seconds and it’s been three or four weeks since she went in 2:01.2 (June 24), so I thought it was pretty good myself. She’s probably better from behind, she gets pretty lackadaisical on the front end; even training she’s like that. I know they (Golds) went a little faster, I looked at them the other night, but we still probably will (try Gold).”
Plan A for Mischevious Rose might also have been the Gold Series, but a bout of sickness caused trainer Johnathan McKinnon to press pause on her schedule. The Muscle Mass daughter made her debut in the second division and after sitting comfortably in fourth as Clockwork Orange rang up fractions of :29.2, :59.4 and 1:29.3 she stepped out in the stretch and laid down an impressive :27.2 last quarter to claim a three-quarter length victory in 1:58. Clockwork Orange settled for second behind the favourite while Cleveland Moneyka was well behind the leaders in third.
“She’s a great filly. I’ve never sat behind her, but I’ve seen her all winter and all spring, she was the best trotting filly we had really,” said driver Mario Baillargeon, who guided the filly from Post 4. “She got sick a little bit so Johnny (McKinnon) took his time with her and she was impressive tonight, :27.2 on the end there and first lifetime start, you don’t see too many two-year-old trotting fillies do that.
“I don’t know if she’s a Gold yet, but if she improves a little more she probably will be a Gold filly,” said Baillargeon. “She’s just the right size, she’ll trot any track, and she trots so smooth and has got a real high speed.”
Baillargeon of Acton and McKinnon of Guelph drive and train Mischevious Rose for fractional ownership group TheStable.ca Mischevious Rose of Guelph, ON, and several of her owners were on hand to celebrate the filly’s first lifetime win.
The final Grassroots blanket went home with favourite Da Royal Miracle, who took command before the half and fought off a challenge from Lilys Lass in the stretch to secure a head victory in 2:00. Trade Secret finished five lengths behind the duelling leaders in third.
Campbellville resident Chris Christoforou drives Da Royal Miracle for trainer Laurie Bako of Aylmer and his co-owners Roy Knight of Port Stanley, Rickey Moffatt of Dorchester and Robert Woodburn of St. Thomas, ON. The win was the Royalty For Life daughter’s second, she was also a winner in a two-year-old filly overnight event at Woodbine Mohawk Park on July 1.
The two-year-old trotting colts make their Grassroots debut at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Thursday, July 15 in four $22,850 divisions.
(OSS)
To view results for Tuesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Tuesday Results – Woodbine Mohawk Park.