Maureen Rocks delivered on her pari-mutuel promise with a victory in the featured $32,000 Fillies & Mares Preferred Pace while two-year-old pacing filly Shelliscape extended her undefeated win streak in her conditioning assignment during Friday night's harness racing card at Mohawk Racetrack
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Maureen Rocks swept to command around early leader Pink Kangaroo (Chris Christoforou) following a :28.3 opening quarter in the Friday feature event. With driver Jody Jamieson in tow, the four-year-old daughter of Rocknroll Hanover-Armbro Maureen extended her lead to two lengths by the :56.3 half-mile mark and maintained that margin as she headed to the next marker in 1:24.1. Naughtytiltheend (Sylvain Fillion) rallied from third, but Maureen Rocks had the jump start on that rival and sprinted to victory in 1:50.4. Naughtytiltheend settled for second, one and three-quarter lengths behind, while Voelz Hanover (Mario Baillargeon) finished third.
Maureen Rocks paid $3.10 to win as the bettor’s choice. Tony O’Sullivan trains the bay mare for owner-breeder Emerald Highlands Farm of Mount Vernon, Ohio. The victory was her third in a row and fifth of the season in eight outings. Unraced as a two-year-old, Maureen Rocks has recorded 10 wins in 14 career starts and has yet to finish out of the money for earnings totaling $122,330.
In the evening’s $17,000 opener, Bob McIntosh trainee Shelliscape wired a field of freshman pacing fillies for her fifth straight win in as many starts. Randy Waples guided the Artiscape-Shell I Scoot miss through fractions of :28.2, :58.1 and 1:27.2 en route to the 1:54.2 triumph. Bound To Rock (Chris Christoforou) finished two and a half lengths behind in second and longshot Rock It Ashley (Rick Zeron) rounded out the top three, nearly five lengths behind.
The Robert McIntosh Stables Inc. of Windsor, Ont., the C S X Stables of Liberty Center, Ohio and the DM Stables LLC of Archbold, Ohio purchased the brown filly for $25,000 from the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. The Whenuwishuponastar winner has banked $60,500 to date.
The heavy favourite paid $2.10 to win.
For results from Friday's harness racing card, click on the following link: Friday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.