Rookie trotting colts and geldings met up Friday evening (Aug. 12) at Woodbine Mohawk Park for the third Ontario Sires Stakes Gold leg of the season.
Team McNair’s Osceola moved to the lead just after the opening quarter and never looked back for a 1:56.1 victory in the $101,300 first division. Doug McNair guided the son of Muscle Mass to victory for his father, trainer Gregg McNair.
“I just wanted to get around the first turn and go from there,” said Doug McNair of the colt who broke stride in his July 4 career debut prior to his first Gold win on July 14. “I know he’s got a ton of trot and, once he made the lead, I was pretty confident. He’s a really nice colt, we’ve got no complaints, he’s a great horse to sit behind.”
The race opened with Oh Look Magic posting a :28.4 first quarter. Once the field straightened out for the backstretch, McNair moved Osceola to the top from third and posted fractions of :59 and 1:28.1 to lead into the stretch.
Ghostly Casper made a big move first-up from sixth on the final turn and got to the leader’s wheel, but Osceola wouldn’t allow the rival to get any closer, closing out the mile in :28 to win by a length and a half. Oh Look Magic and Dowedealinandwhy rounded out the top four finishers.
After making a break in his career debut, Osceola has now rebounded for back-to-back OSS Gold victories, banking $102,200 in the process for owners Gregg McNair, Willow Oak Ranch and Paul Hawman.
The profitable colt, who was a $70,000 yearling acquisition from the Lexington Select Sale, is eligible to next weekend's William Wellwood Memorial eliminations.
A $2 win ticket on Osceola returned $3.40.
In the $100,400 second division, DWs Point Man delivered a 1:57.1 score for his new connections.
An early scramble for command saw rookies spread three-wide going into the first turn, as Snowpiercer held ground at the rail with DWs Point Man and Stonebridge Bomber stacked up. After a :28.2 opener, Stonebridge Bomber cleared DWs Point Man, but Snowpiercer swung back to the lead at a :58.3 half.
Snowpiercer got a jump on his rivals on the far turn, which forced DWs Point Man and driver Louis-Philippe Roy to make a move outside to try and reel in the leader. After reaching three-quarters in 1:28.2, Snowpiercer couldn’t find enough to seal the deal, losing the lead to DWs Point Man. The new leader trotted strongly to the line for a win of just over a length. Deadline Hall split through to grab second while Snowpiercer settled for third.
A gelded son of My MVP, DWs Point Man was recently purchased by Ecurie CSL and 9174 7998 Quebec Inc. after posting strong efforts in Saratoga, New York. Driver Roy noted that he played a role in helping the connections acquire DWs Point Man, who now races for trainer Richard Moreau.
“A friend of mine from Saratoga texted me about [DWs Point Man] and said the owner wants to sell him,” said Roy. “I looked at him a little bit and I knew Sylvain Descheneaux [Ecurie CSL] was looking to buy a young horse like this, so that’s kind of why I got a bit more involved and part of the deal.”
Friday’s victory was the third in six starts for DWs Point Man and vaults his earnings from $13,746 to $63,946.
A $2 win ticket on the Moreau student returned $10.10.
The fourth Gold leg for two-year-old colt and gelding trotters will take place on Sept. 4 at Flamboro Downs.
Live racing continues Saturday evening at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The finals of the Dream Maker and Whenuwishuponastar headline a 13-race card. Post time is 7 p.m.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from Woodbine)