Woodbine Mohawk Park hosted seven qualifiers on Tuesday morning (Aug. 16) that were capped off by winning efforts from a pair of Luc Blais stable stars.
Enavant turned in the fastest mile of the morning session, scoring in 1:51.3 with Bob McClure in the bike. The son of Somebeachsomewhere set fractions of :28.3, :56.2 and 1:24.4 before extending his lead to 6-1/4 lengths with a :26.4 final frame. Arties Ideal out-finished Always A Hotshot in the race for place. Blais trains the six-year-old gelding, last fall's Potomac Pace champion and career winner of more than a quarter of a million dollars, for Quebec-based owners Determination and Guy Corbeil. A seven-time starter this year, Enavant picked up his first win of the campaign in mid-July at Mohawk.
On the trot, Donato Hanover mare Donna Soprano, a former O'Brien Award winner who has made just two starts so far in her four-year-old campaign, got back on track with a 1:55.1 qualifying score for Blais and Determination. Driven by McClure, the near-millionaire crossed to command and cruised through panels of :29.2, :58.1 and 1:27 before closing out the 2-3/4-length tally with a :28.1 finish. Mr Contestant and Dealin With Dewey followed in second and third.
Among the two-year-old qualifying winners was the Scott McEneny-trained pacing colt Brue Hanover, who kept close tabs on leader We Shall Sea through splits of :27.4, :57.4 and 1:26.4 and prevailed by a half-length in 1:54.2. James MacDonald took the reins behind the Stay Hungry-Blind Ambition son in his return to Mohawk from Pennsylvania Sire Stakes action last week. A four-time starter and 1:53.4 winner over the Campbellville oval, Brue Hanover is owned by Brad Grant and Teresa Davidson of Milton, Ont.
Returning to Mohawk after competing in the Peter Haughton on Hambletonian Day, the maiden rookie trotter Raisealittlehill inherited the lead when the tempo-setting I Am Speed (:29, :59.4 and 1:31.3) broke stride in the stretch and went on to win his qualifier in 2:00.3 by 4-1/2 lengths, trotting his final quarter in :28.4, for trainer Garry Merner and owner Gino Toscano of Mount Hope, Ont. Trevor Henry drove the Muscle Hill-Kristine Anne colt, who was followed by Northern Magenta and Naughty Wowzer in second and third.
To view the complete qualifying results, click the following link: Tuesday Results (Qualifiers) - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
A replay of the video stream from Tuesday's qualifiers is available below.