Forty-five freshman trotting fillies converged at Mohawk Racetrack on Friday night for the first Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series event of their careers.
The fillies faced off in a handful of $42,000 divisions with the career-debuting Miss Liv opening the card with a 1:59 triumph for driver Jack Moiseyev and trainer Charlie Norris.
Entering the race off a pair of qualifying wins at Pocono Downs, Miss Liv swept up from the backfield to take over command at the half-mile mark and held off a fellow Kadabra filly, favourite Mayberry (Rick Zeron), to win by a neck. First over challenger Muscle Babe (Steve Condren) finished three and a half lengths behind in third.
Miss Liv is owned and bred by New Jersey's Jason, Douglas and Ronald Allen. The 9-5 second choice paid $5.70 to win.
Marcella Hall also made her career-debut a winning one as she blasted off the gate from the outside post nine and cruised wire-to-wire in 1:58.1 in the following division for New Jersey trainer/driver Jimmy Takter. The 6-5 favourite paid $4.50 to win. Riveting Rosie (Paul MacDonell) overtook pocket-sitter Nickange Two (Mike Saftic) in the stretch to place.
The daughter of Deweycheatumnhowe, who was a winner in her most recent Meadowlands Racetrack qualifier, was a $30,000 Lexington Select Sale yearling owned by Takter's wife Christina, John and Jim Fielding of Toronto and R A W Equine Inc. of Burlington, Ont. She is a full-sister to Ma Chere Hall, the 2012 Kindergarten Classic freshman champion filly and a Reynolds Stakes winner Friday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
Striking Serenade was also a winner in her first lifetime start for trainer Ron Parsons with a 1:59.3 front-stepping score in rein to Anthony MacDonald. The Striking Sahbra filly cleared to command past the opening quarter mark and won by a length and a half after a rough-gaited Oceana (Eddie Green) broke stride from first over in the stretch. Tosca (Per Henriksen) and Domedomedome (Jack Moiseyev) finished second and third.
Striking Serenade, who won her latest qualifier at the Meadowlands, returned $5.80 to her backers as the 9-5 favourite. She is a homebred filly owned by Pennsylvania's Richard and Regina Beinhauer.
Fresh off a single winning qualifying start at Mohawk, Profound Wisdom won the fastest Gold division of the night in 1:57.3 despite bearing out in the stretch. Driver Kevin Sizer sent the daughter of Ken Warkentin from third to first before the half-mile mark and trotted on to a two length victory over Miss Aultsville (Jack Moiseyev) and Margie (Paul MacDonell).
The homebred filly is trained by Rebecca Titus and owned by New York's Steven Titus. Sent postward as the 5-1 fourth choice in the field, she paid $13.10 to win her first pari-mutuel start.
The final division was won by the front-striding Danica Hall and Trevor Ritchie in 1:58.1. Making her career-debut following a single winning qualifying start at Mohawk, the daughter of Deweycheatumnhowe re-took the lead after firing from post seven and cruised home to score by one and a half lengths over the favoured first over attacker, Luck Is All Ineed (Doug McNair). Stormont Galaxy (Sylvain Filion) finished third.
The 5-2 second choice paid $7.70 to win. Doug McIntosh trains the homebred filly for Kentucky's Walnut Hall Limited.
The two-year-old trotting fillies will head to Georgian Downs on July 23 for their second OSS Gold Series leg.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.