Anndrovette's 1:48 stakes, track and Canadian record in the $323,500 Roses Are Red Stakes for older pacing mares and a quartet of Canadian Breeders Championships for three-year-olds highlighted the Maple Leaf Trot undercard Saturday at Mohawk Racetrack.
Anndrovette lowered her own record, which she set in last year's Roses Are Red Stakes, by one-fifth of a second and came within two-fifths of a second of Put On A Show's world record.
The victory wrapped up a stakes triple for five-time Saturday night winning driver Tim Tetrick, who also captured the featured Maple Leaf Trot with Market Share just a few races earlier and a Canadian Breeders Championship with trotting colt Thankyoukessel.
Tetrick sent 3-2 favourite Anndrovette to the lead from post four in the final stakes event of the night and hit the opening quarter mark in :26.2 before giving way to Drop The Ball (Doug McNair) in the backstretch.
Drop The Ball swept from third to first and posted middle panels of :53.2 and 1:20.1 with Rocklamation (Yannick Gingras) advancing first over from fourth.
Drop The Ball continued to led the mares into the stretch, but Anndrovette launched a late attack and reached up to defend her title in record-setting fashion. Drop The Ball was second, half a length behind, and Rocklamation finished third.
"We left hard and I knew Dougie was going to come," said Tetrick. "Dougie’s mare, when he starts her up, she can go really fast. We followed her around there, we went 1:20.1 and that's a pretty good three-quarters for mares. My mare had to do all she could do to get by her. That other mare raced super."
The six-year-old Riverboat King mare, who has won 34 races and banked over $2.4 million in purses, is trained by Paul Fraley for owners Bamond Racing LLC and Joseph Davino.
She paid $5.20 to win as the favourite after tackling her elimination in 1:48.4 last week.
Earlier on the card, Tetrick picked up the catch-drive aboard Thankyoukessel and the duo circled the field of three-year-old trotting colts in their $105,910 Canadian Breeders Championship to pull off an 11-1 upset.
Thankyoukessel, who received a bye into tonight's final, shaved more than two full seconds off his lifetime mark with his 1:54.2 triumph for trainer Joe MacIsaac and owner/breeder Carolyn Williston of Moffat, Ont.
With the favourite, Toocool Forschool (Mike Saftic), breaking stride behind the gate, second choice Murmur Hanover (Randy Waples) established the early lead with Schoolhouse Rock (Doug McNair) rolling up to take over command at the :27.2 first quarter mark.
However, Murmur Hanover retook the lead down the backstretch and fronted the field through middle splits of :56.2 and 1:25.3 with Gotta Secret (Sylvain Filion) leading the outer flow.
Meanwhile, Thankyoukessel, who was at the back of the pack, began to roll. Tetrick sent him three-wide at the third quarter mark and the Ken Warkentin gelding picked off his rivals one by one down the lane. He prevailed by three-quarters of a length over Murmur Hanover while Gotta Secret rounded out the top three finishers.
"I saw a lot of them running and they were getting out of there fast enough," said Tetrick in a post-race interview. "My horse was settling okay so I just ducked him back and hoped they went fast enough that he'd give me a good run and he did."
Thankyoukessel returned $24.90 to his backers.
Favourite Mach It So provided owner Bamond Racing LLC with another stakes win when he drew off to capture the $115,850 Canadian Breeders Championship for three-year-old pacing colts by open lengths.
With Scott Zeron in the sulky, Mach It So established a new lifetime mark of 1:50 flat for trainer Richard 'Nifty' Norman.
Post eight starter Blissfull Bro (Luc Ouellette) fired to command during a :27-second opening panel while Mach It So got away mid-pack from post two. However, second choice Windsong Jack (Tim Tetrick) swept to command from third during the second panel.
Windsong Jack reached the half in :55.2 with Mach It So advancing first over and moving up to confront the pacesetter as they approached the third quarter mark in 1:22.4.
As the colts turned for home, Mach It So put away the leader and opened up four lengths on his foes. A forwardly placed Tarpon Hanover (Jody Jamieson) was second with Blissfull Bro finishing third.
"I just wanted to be patient off the gate with him," said Zeron. "I feel like he's the best against these horses. I knew which ones would be blasting. I thought the pace would be a bit faster, but he acts like he can go around these horses no problem."
Mach It So paid $4.30 to win.
Favourite Love Canal came within just one-fifth of a second of the stakes record while winning the $113,960 Canadian Breeders Championship for three-year-old pacing fillies.
Driver Doug McNair worked out the career-best mile for the daughter of Badlands Hanover, who is trained by Tony O'Sullivan for the Let It Ride Stables Inc., Robert Cooper Stables LLC, and J And T Silva Stables LLC.
The 3-5 favourite settled away mid-pack from post three while outside longshot Bjs Sweetheart (Scott Zeron) worked her way to the top during a :26.1 opening quarter.
Macharoundtheclock (Jody Jamieson) then made a backstretch brush sweeping from fourth to first en route to the half in :54.2 while McNair made his move angling Love Canal off the pylons from fifth.
Macharoundtheclock raced to three-quarters in 1:22 and began to open up on the field around the final turn, but Love Canal reeled her in and held off the quick-closing Pan Luis Obispo (Randy Waples) to prevail by three-quarters of a length in 1:50.1. Marlee B (Sylvain Filion) came from last to show.
"There was lots of speed early and Jody got away in front of me so I thought it was going to set up perfect for her," said McNair following the win. "Halfway or three-quarters of the way around the turn I got to drop in the two-hole and braven her up a little bit. When I called on her, she took off."
Fresh off an elimination win, Love Canal returned $3.20 to her backers.
Motown Muscle kicked off the stakes action earlier in the night with a victory in the first $109,813 Canadian Breeders Championship for three-year-old trotting fillies.
Motown Muscle prevailed off a perfect pocket trip behind heavy favourite Angies Lucky Star for the driver/trainer team of Mario and Ben Baillargeon.
The fillies were four-wide into the first turn with Motown Muscle securing rail position after a post two start while Angies Lucky Star (Sylvain Filion) worked to the lead through a :27.4 opening panel. Anaffairtoremember (Jack Moiseyev) settled back into third with Orderingin (Billy Davis Jr.) parked out and pressing.
Angies Lucky Star continued to lead the fillies past the half in :56.4 and three-quarters in 1:26.2. But once they entered the stretch, Angies Lucky Star was confronted on both sides as Baillargeon pulled Motown Muscle from the two-hole while Anaffairtoremember shot up the rail.
With a late surge down the lane, Motown Muscle pushed ahead to prevail in 1:54.1. Anaffairtoremember finished a length and a half behind in second with Angies Lucky Star forced to settle for third.
"I had never beat [Angies Lucky Star], but the way my filly raced last week I thought if I got a two-hole until the top of the stretch I'd have a shot," said Mario Baillargeon after the race. "I knew I had Sylvain beat at the top of the stretch, but then I was worried about Jack with the rail opening up. She fought all the way down the stretch, she's just a nice filly.
"She gives 110 per cent every time she's on the track," he added.
Motown Muscle, an elimination winner last weekend, paid $9.30 to win as the 7-2 second choice.
The daughter of Muscle Mass is owned by Bet Max Stables Inc. and Benenati Inc.
In other action, former Canadian Breeders Championship winner Camaes Fellow established a new lifetime mark of 1:48 in the $34,000 Preferred Pace with Yannick Gingras aboard for trainer David Menary and owners Burke Racing Stable LLC, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, and M1 Stable LLC.
The five-year-old Mach Three gelding left from post eight and carved out fractions of :26, :54.3 and 1:21 en route to the two length victory over Up The Credit (Jody Jamieson) and Dapper Dude (Randy Waples).
Sent postward as the 5-2 favourite, Camaes Fellow paid $6.80 to win for the 18th time in his career. The lion's share of the purse lifted his bankroll to $716,510.
Important Links
- Entries - Saturday's overnight sheet
- Results - Saturday's racing results
- Program Pages - past performance program page for each race, courtesy of TrackIT
- News - all the previews and recaps leading up to the Maple Leaf Trot
- Live Video - watch the races here live starting at 7:25 p.m.