Two-time O'Brien Award winner Stockade Seelster returned to action on Tuesday morning, July 2 in Woodbine Mohawk Park's opening qualifying race.
The Dr. Ian Moore trainee, who was scratched from the first scheduled start of his four-year-old season in Miami Valley's Mindlin Memorial Invitational on May 4, returned with a 1:52.2 qualifying mile, finishing second by half a length to Hail Christian N.
Driven by Jody Jamieson, Stockade Seelster led through fractions of :28.2, :57.3 and 1:25.3 then closed out his return appearance with a :26.4 final frame. Trained by Paul Thomas Court, Hail Christian N and Sylvain Filion prevailed from the pocket, with Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots champion Winmebak and James MacDonald closing in from third and finishing three-quarters of a length behind.
Stockade Seelster won seven of 19 races last year and hit the board an additional eight times. The son of State Treasurer-Soiree Seelster earned $677,688 for owners Sally MacDonald and Paul MacDonald. His victories included a division of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes, the consolation for North America Cup and three Ontario Sires Stakes Gold divisions. He finished second to eventual U.S. Horse of the Year Confederate in the Breeders Crown and Max C. Hempt Memorial.
For his career, Stockade Seelster has hit the board in 25 of 30 races, winning 15 and earning $1.59 million. In addition to his O’Brien honours, he received a Dan Patch Award as a two-year-old.
Moore told Trot Insider that at this point he plans to give Stockade Seelster a solid training mile next Monday. If the stallion performs well there, Moore will enter Stockade Seelster to race at Mohawk next Saturday, July 13.
The fastest mile of the morning session was clocked in 1:51.3 by Chain Gang, who looped into second down the backstretch and popped off the back of the pacesetting Fan Hanover Stakes winner Its A Love Thing (:30, :58.2, 1:25.3) approaching the final eighth to prevail by three-quarters of a length. Trevor Henry drove the three-year-old Bettors Delight-Duostep Hanover colt, who sprinted a :25.4 final quarter to take a new lifetime mark, for trainer Nick Gallucci and owner/breeder Millar Farms.
A two-time OSS Gold winner as a freshman, Chain Gang has finished top-two in half of his 10 career starts while earning nearly $160,000.
Monday's 12 qualifiers included eight baby races, with the Garry Merner-trained colt Zander winning the fastest pace in 1:57.1 following a qualifying debut at Vernon Downs two weeks ago. The Dali-Dream Police Woman colt led from start to finish with panels of :29.4, 1:01 and 1:30.1 capped by a :27 finale landing him 4-1/2 lengths in front of the debuting closer Wicked Ending and pocket pursuer Whats Your Limits. Sylvain Filion was in the bike for New York-based owner Joseph Ricco Jr.
Exquisite Taste stood out among two-year-old trotters with a 14-length romp in 1:58.1 for trainer Eric Nadeau. After making breaks in her first two career starts at Mohawk, the Resolve-Ghost Glider filly cruised through fractions of :31.2, 1:00.4 and 1:29.1 en route to victory in rein to Louis-Philippe Roy, who shares ownership with Ecurie Csl.
A replay of Woodbine's video stream, which starts after the first race, is available below.
To view Tuesday's harness racing results, click the following link: Tuesday Results (Qualifiers) - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada)