When you hear the name ‘Tony Soprano’ it’s probably safe to say that the last thing you think of is speed. The first thing that would probably come to mind is the large mob boss that was portrayed on television by the late James Gandolfini. Nevertheless, harness racing’s ‘TS’ was the one that loomed large Friday morning (July 3) at Mohawk Racetrack.
Tony Soprano, a two-year-old that is the first foal out of the $1.2 million earner Windsong Soprano, was a force to be reckoned with during Mohawk’s nine-race qualifying session on Friday.
The son of Kadabra made his move out onto the track for Race 8 and set his sights on Post 7. When the starting car accelerated and let the field go at it, driver Randy Waples shot Tony Soprano out to the front of the pack for trainer Bob McIntosh.
The duo was in the lead by more than three lengths when they trotted past the opening quarter-mile pole in an even 30 seconds. Tony Soprano got all the respect on the front end in the second quarter, as he headed down to the half-mile pole and clicked off the timer in :59.3.
Tony Soprano, who is by Kadabra, showed the field his wheels on the final turn, as he and Waples sped away from their rivals. They had extended their four and three-quarter-length lead to more than 14 by the time they iced the timer in the three-quarter-mile pole (1:28.3).
With the skirmish well in hand, Tony Soprano relaxed and acted like a boss in the lane. He trotted home with a :29.4 final quarter-mile clocking and put the race out of commission when he punched the final timer in 1:58.2, which was the fastest mile of the morning session.
Tony Soprano, who was bred by Lothlorien of Cheltenham, Ont., was a $90,000 purchase at the 2014 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. The bay colt is owned by Robert McIntosh Stables Inc., Mardon Stables, Paradox Farm Inc. and Dave Boyle.
To view the harness racing results for the Friday qualifying session at Mohawk, click the following link: Friday Results – Mohawk Racetrack (Qualifiers).