Two-year-olds continued to prep for their racing careers on Wednesday morning in 10 baby races at Mohawk Racetrack.
With the fastest final quarter of the two-year-olds, pacing colt Major Deagan kicked home in :27.2 to win his second qualifying start in 1:56.4 for Sunderland, Ont. trainer Murray Brethour, who also shares ownership with Daniel Sarafian of Stouffville and Barry Crowe of Bobcaygeon. Sylvain Filion drove the Art Major-Allamerican Meadow colt, who was a $12,000 Harrisburg Yearling Sale purchase for his connections.
Driven by Randy Waples for trainer Normand Bardie Jr., Carracci Hanover pulled the pocket after the opening quarter and swept around fellow Somebeachsomewhere colt Virginonthebeach and trainer/driver Roger Mayotte en route to a 1:57 two length victory (:28.1 final quarter). Quebec's Richard Berthiaume purchased Carracci Hanover for $140,000 at the Harrisburg Sale. He is out of the late $400,000-plus earner Cohiba Mary and is a half-brother to P Forty Seven ($717,660, 1:48.2).
Pinske Stables's Pretty Girl Swag topped the pacing fillies with a 1:58.3 front-stepping score, also in rein to Waples. Making her second qualifying start, the homebred Yankee Cruiser-Dances On The Wind miss held off Noble Jilly (Jeremes Jet-Simply Lucky) by half a length.
Corsair Hall was a gapped out pocket-sitter through the early stages in the mile before kicking home in :29.3 to prevail in the fastest two-year-old trotting mile of the session. The Deweycheatumnhowe-Colleen Hall colt stopped the clock in 2:01.2 with Mario Baillargeon in the sulky for trainer Martin Lachance. The $77,000 Lexington Select Sale purchase returned to the qualifying ranks after making a miscue in his July 4 pari-mutuel debut in the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series. He is owned by Raymond Schnittker, Walnut Hall Limited, Charles Iannazzo and Theodore Gewertz.
Making her second qualifying start, Noble Flirt was the fastest of the filly trotters in 2:02.2 after brushing home in :30.1 off a three-hole trip engineered by Chris Christoforou for his father, trainer Charalambos Christoforou, who also bred and shares ownership with Toronto's Banjo Farms. The filly is a daughter of Muscle Hill and Fly To The Moon, the full-sister to Ontario Sires Stakes graduate Equity ($805,650, 1:52.1).
Trainer Dustin Jones sent out a pair of winners as trotting colt Raise The Curtain debuted in 2:01.4 with a nine length lead and pacing filly Nat A Virgin (Always A Virgin-Nat A Tat Tat) scored in 1:59.2. Raise The Curtain is sired by Broadway Hall out of Elegantimage's daughter Rare Elegance. The $8,000 Harrisburg yearling is a full-brother to Opening Night ($678,759, 1:52.3).
Other winners were trotting filly Chivaree Hanover (Muscle Hill-Celebrity Nike) in 2:04.1 for trainer/owner Gregg McNair; pacing gelding Flirtnwithdisaster (Major In Art-Flirtatious Farah) in 2:02.2 for trainer/driver Fred Jamieson; and pacing filly Catalea Seelster (Stonebridge Regal-Cmon Mama Cass) in 1:59.4 for trainer Ron Adams.
To view Wednesday's qualifying results, click on the following link: Wednesday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.