Mirage Hanover capped off the second round of the Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series for two-year-old pacers with an eye-catching victory in a 1:50.4 North American season's record for trainer Scott McEneny on Friday, July 21 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
It was no mirage, the McEneny trainee was really in front by 5-1/2 lengths as he took the fourth and final $100,000-plus OSS division of the night.
With Bob McClure in the bike, the Bettors Delight-Mayhem Seelster colt took the lead at the :27.2 quarter pole and led a strung out field through middle splits of :55.2 and 1:24.1 before taking off in the stretch. An overland Wikipedia (Jonathan Drury) held off Nijinksy (Louis-Philippe Roy) in the race for place.
Owned by Marvin Rounick, the Hanover Shoes Farms bred colt, who is a half-brother to sub-1:48 pacer Mad Max Hanover, was a $175,000 yearling purchase.
After training down in Florida with Steve Elliott in the barn next to McEneny, Mirage Hanover was a runner-up in his June 30 career debut in the Tompkin-Geers Stakes at The Meadowlands, pacing a :25.1 final quarter, for trainer Jake Leamon. He joined the McEneny stable back in Puslinch, Ont. for the first leg of the Gold Series on July 10 when he rebounded from an early miscue, closing in :26.1 to finish third. In his third outing, the quick-closing colt became the fastest two-year-old in North America this year with his maiden-breaking score. His speedy :26.3 closing kick was actually the slowest final quarter of his first three starts.
"Bobby [McClure] said he shut him down at the seven-eighths pole. He said this thing's scary. He's the closest horse that I've seen that looks like Bettors Delight, too," said McEneny, who also trained the winner's champion sire.
Bettors Delight offspring swept all four Gold divisions of Friday's Ontario Sires Stakes.
Mirage Hanover was the only favourite to deliver in OSS action at odds of 2-5, returning $2.80 to win.
In the first division for the boys, Do Better turned in a repeat performance of his front-end victory from last Friday night's Grassroots action, lowering his mark to 1:51.3.
While 6-5 favourite T H McMurray (Doug McNair) was taken to the safety lane after a miscue in the first turn, Do Better and Sylvain Filion settled on top after firing from the outside post nine and out-sprinting Carribean Sports (Trevor Henry) into a :26.4 first quarter. After a :30 second panel, he maintained a two-length advantage as he cruised to three-quarters in 1:24.3 and turned for home. Just like last week, Filion's father Yves, driving his homebred Funtime Bayama, chased after Do Better down the lane but couldn't catch the pacesetter. Two lengths off the leader last time, Funtime Bayama got within a half-length of Do Better in his second attempt. Carribean Sports finished nearly four lengths back in third.
"I gotta do what I like to do and that's winning races," said Filion with a smile after defeating his father's pacer again. "He's got a real nice horse but mine just keeps digging and digging. [Do Better] got a little green on me at the end of the last turn, turning for home, but as soon as he settled down and I pulled the [ear] plugs, he just went on.
"They added a sideroll because I wanted him a little bit more aggresive because I knew it was going to be a faster mile tonight and it worked out pretty good."
A gelded son of Bettors Delight out of the Mach Three mare West Third Street (a half-sister to millionaires Somewhere In L A and L A Delight), Do Better is a homebred for trainer Bob McIntosh and Al McIntosh Holdings. Mardon Stables is also a partner on the undefeated two-year-old, who has won his first three starts.
Do Better paid $9.30 to win as the 7-2 third choice.
Also stepping up to the Gold level, the one-eyed Its A Love Thing kicked off the filly stakes with as 12-1 upset as she collared heavy favourite Resilience at the wire in 1:52.3 for trainer Dave Menary.
After some early commotion with a few breakers and a pair of fillies hooking wheels at the start, Resilence charged to command from the outside for driver/co-owner Louis-Philippe Roy. A :27.1 opening panel was followed by a second quarter breather for the 1-5 favourite to the half in :57 before she was confronted by Blazing Belle (Doug McNair) in the final turn. Advancing from third, Blazing Belle went head-to-head with Resilience at three-quarters in 1:25.1. As Resilience shrugged off that challenger down the stretch, another one came flying off cover for the upset. Sprinting home in :26.4, Its A Love Thing defeated Resilience by a half-length in rein to James MacDonald. Blazing Belle finished back in third with a broken headpole.
Coming off a Grassroots victory in her July 13 career debut, Its A Love Thing is now undefeated in two starts. Bred by Marvin & Lynn Katz and Al Libfeld, the Bettors Delight-Love For Sail filly, who was $65,000 yearling purchase from the Lexington Select Sale, is owned by Eric Good, Thomas Biederman and Josh Green.
"She was my favourite all winter," said Menary after the race. "It took a little while for her come, she didn't really pace from Kentucky to Harrisburg, she probably went the fastest mile in Canada in December of a baby and, boom, she's been good ever since.
"I want her to be known for being a good racehorse, not for having one eye, so that's the game plan," he continued. "All winter long, she should almost have trained with older horses, not babies. She had a couple of bumps in the road... I thought she was a Gold filly all the way along but wanted to start her easy in the Grassroots and things are headed in the right direction and hopefully they keep heading that way."
Overlooked at the betting windows, Its A Love Thing returned $27.80 for the upset win.
The second filly division also produced an upset as 24-1 shot Odds On Platinum prevailed in a three-across finish in a 1:52.2 maiden victory for trainer Dr. Ian Moore, landing Sylvain Filion back in the stakes spotlight.
With Filion picking up the catch-drive, Odds On Platinum settled into the pocket early behind first leg Gold winner Bettor Sisters (Jody Jamieson) through a :27 quarter and watched Pass Line (Louis-Philippe Roy) and 4-5 favourite Watching You (Doug McNair) trade turned on the lead as they raced by the half in :55.3.
Shuffled back to fourth, Odds On Platinum made her move heading to three-quarters in 1:24.3 and flushed out cover as Pass Line re-engaged looking for her second Gold win. Pass Line retook the lead in the stretch but Odds On Platinum was quickly closing in and Coco Jo Jo (Bob McClure) rallied widest of all from the backfield to make it a three-across finish. At the wire, it was Odds On Platinum with the neck advantage in between her rivals to take the top prize. Coco Jo Jo edged out Pass Line for the runner-up honours.
Odds On Platinum picked up her first career win following a fifth-place finish when making her first start in the Gold Series opener on July 11.
Moore noted that the highly-regarded filly, who became quite aggressive after her first qualifier, was more manageable tonight with a change to her bit and the addition of earplugs, which Filion pulled halfway down the stretch.
Bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, the Bettors Delight filly out of the great American Jewel, was a $110,000 yearling purchased from the Harrisburg Sale by Odds On Racing.
Odds On Platinum returned $50.70 for a $2 win ticket.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.