The Ontario Sires Stakes was front and centre on Tuesday evening (August 9) at Mohawk Racetrack, as some of the program's three-year-old trotting fillies squared off in Grassroots action.
The Mark Steacy-trained and James MacDonald-driven Anneli Hanover got away third in her split. Silky Flashy N Fast was first to the top and put up an opening quarter clocked in :28 before MacDonald teed off with Anneli Hanover. In a matter of strides she cleared to the top before rolling the field through middle panels of :57.4 and 1:27.1. A :28.4 closing quarter was used to seal the deal by a length over Silky Flashy N Fast in 1:56. Scotties Spirit was third.
Sent off as the 1-5 favourite, the daughter of Majestic Son-Above All Hanover improved this season’s record to 6-1-0 from 11 starts. She’s potted nearly $40,000 this year for the partnership of Katherine Steacy, Landmark 8 Racing Stable, David McDonald and Barry White.
True Muscle gave trainer Keith Jones and driver James MacDonald a trip to victory lane thanks to her 1:57.4 triumph in her $18,000 OSS Grassroots division. Away fourth from the rail, the filly issued a first-over challenge around the final turn, and when race-leading I Want Kandy switched to the pace in the lane and eventually rolled into a break. True Muscle was the beneficiary of the break, and she held on for the half-length triumph over Miami Magic, who recovered from gate break to finish second. Tymal Diamond was third.
Keith Jones trains the daughter of Muscle Mass-Trueblue Volo for owner Randy Zhok of Dover Centre, Ont. It was her second lifetime win, and the lion’s share of the loot from Tuesday’s assignment helped her earnings swell to $33,340.
P L Jill had a rough outing when she sparred with OSS Grassroots foes at Mohawk Raceway on July 14, but it was smooth sailing for the filly in during Tuesday’s card of racing. She rallied to win her $18,000 Grassroots division a career-best clocking of 1:55.4 over The Muscle Touch and Magical Valentine.
The two-time winner is a homebred daughter of Kadabra-Fridays Gem who races for Prince Lee Acres, Jill Coleman and Alan Christensen. She has nearly $28,000 piled up in purse earnings.
Profound Patience hauled home the last piece of hardware thanks to her 1:57.2 triumph for driver Trevor Henry and trainer/breeder Rebecca Titus. Henry got away third with the filly, and he had her rolling first-over as the field sped to the three-quarter pole in 1:28.2. A :29-second closing quarter was more than enough for the filly to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Stonebridge Peace in 1:57.2. Roadmapper came on strong to finish third.
It was the second win of the season and the fifth time the filly has hit the board in eight starts. She’s quickly closing in on $20,000 in earnings for owner/breeder Steven Titus of Hamburg, NY.
Only a single Jackpot Hi-5 ticket had the correct top five finishers in a wild final race Tuesday night at Mohawk Racetrack.
A $0.20 Jackpot Hi-5 ticket purchased in British Columbia , costing $2,352, was the lone ticket to select the top five finishers in the final race to score a $222,721 return.
The winning ticket was constructed with seven horses placed in the top spot to win, followed by ‘All’ used in the remaining four spots.
Four-year-old pacer Shippen Out pulled off a 13-1 upset victory in the Jackpot Hi-5 race for driver Jonathan Drury and trainer Carmen Auciello.
The five longest shots on the board made up the top five finishers in the contest. Rafa, the 3-5 favourite, was beat just a quarter of a length for fifth in the field of nine.
Here are the top five finishers from Tuesday’s Jackpot Hi-5 race.
1st: #3 Shippen Out (13-1)
2nd: #8 Rockabella (50-1)
3rd: #6 Acefortyfourtalon (30-1)
4th: #1 Rock N Roll Legacy (60-1)
5th: #10 Machapelo (35-1)
The Jackpot Hi-5 carryover entering Tuesday was $206,375.82 and had been growing since July 8. A total of $20,274 of new money was wagering into the pool on Tuesday.
The Jackpot Hi-5 will now start from scratch on Thursday evening. Post time at Mohawk is 7:30 p.m.
(With files from WEG)
To view results for Tuesday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Tuesday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.