Willys Home Run and Drawn Impression, two of the nation's top female trotters over the past few seasons, each prevailed in qualifying action on Friday. Aug. 15 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Last in action three weeks ago (July 26) at The Meadowlands in a leg of the Miss Versatility Series where she made a break in stride, Willys Home Run knifed through horses at the request of driver Louis-Philippe Roy on Friday morning and hit the wire in unison with French Vodka (Chris Christoforou) for a shared 1:55.2 victory.
A two-time O'Brien Award winner and millionaire, Willys Home Run (Archangel - Rite Outa The Park) is trained by Kyle Fellows for Ontario-based owners Dr. Sara Gatchell, Jake Higgs, Reg Higgs (also the breeder) and Yolanda Fellows. She took her mark of 1:51.1 earlier this year at Mohawk in one of her 11 career victories.
Twice a runner-up to Willys Home Run in O'Brien Award voting, Drawn Impression also returned to Ontario for a prep mile after a break in stride at The Meadowlands in the Dr. John R. Steele Memorial on Hambletonian Day. With regular pilot Roy at the controls, Drawn Impression sat the pocket behind sophomore P L Spencer (Bob McClure) through fractions of :29.2, :58.3 and 1:28.1 before angling out in the stretch and trotting by the temposetter to win by a length in 1:55.3.
The homebred product of Montreal's Determination, Drawn Impression (Muscle Hill - Emoticon Hanover) sports eight lifetime victories and — just like Willys Home Run — a lifetime mark of 1:51.1, with hers coming last year at the Big M. Luc Blais trains the Maple Leaf Trot-eligible, a winner of more than $727,000.
Eight dashes were contested on Friday morning, with Team Determination (driver Roy / trainer Blais / owner Determination) connecting for three victories together and Roy picking up five total wins during the session. Rookie pacing filly Takes No Bull delivered a wire-to-wire 1:56.2 score for that trio to kick off the morning, with Canadian Pacing Derby-eligible Calicojack Hanover also an on-the-engine victor in 1:52.2 in his first charted mile since the July 5 Graduate Series leg at The Meadowlands. Takes No Bull (Bulldog Hanover - Pinky Tuscadero) clocked the fastest two-year-old pacing mile of the morning, and Calicojack Hanover was Friday's fastest performer.
Roy's fifth win came courtesy rookie trotting colt Explosive Landing (Tactical Landing - Explosive Session), an impressive 13-length winner on debut in 1:57.1 for trainer Clark Beelby and owner Coyote Wind Farms.
The full video stream is available below.
For results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).
(Standardbred Canada; photo of Drawn Impression and Willys Home Run in action on June 7 at Mohawk)