Fillies found themselves in the spotlight on Thursday at Mohawk Racetrack, as the Campbellville oval hosted the $50,000 final of the Whenuwishuponastar Series for pacers and four OSS Gold Series eliminations for trotters.
Trainer Bob McIntosh captured the final of the Whenuwishuponastar Pacing Series for the fourth consecutive season for the seventh time in last 11 editions thanks to a sparkling performance by Parlee Beach. The homebred daughter of Somebeachsomewhere-Countryview Miss tracked cover before sprinting home to win in 1:50.4 – the quickest clocking in North America this season for a rookie regardless of gender or track size. It also erased the stakes record of 1:52 set by Shelliscape in the 2011 edition of the Whenuwishuponastar Pacing Series.
Waples tucked his undefeated charge into the five-hole while L Dees Lioness motored to the lead from Post 10 and supplied the field with an opening quarter of :27 before giving up the lead in the backstretch to her stablemate, Social Scene. She raced across the backstretch and hit the half in :54.4 before being prompted to the three-quarter pole in 1:23.2 by the first-over I Luv The Nitelife. Waples, in the meantime, was riding second-over with Parlee Beach. Waples called on his filly to sprint in the lane, and she complied by using a :27-second kicker to win by 2-1/4 lengths over L Dees Lioness. Third prize went to I Luv The Nitelife.
Sent off as the 3-1 second choice in the wagering, Parlee Beach is now three-for-three to start her career for owner/breeder Pat Ryan of London, ON. The $25,000 payday lifted the talented filly’s bankroll to $44,000.
The first of the $40,000 OSS Gold Series eliminations went to Cardio Pump, who pulled off an upset to the tune of 18-1 for driver Randy Waples. The daughter of Angus Hall-Heartbeat Hanover powered to the lead and cut out an opening quarter in :28.3 before releasing parked-out longshot, Quiet Snow, to the top. That filly hit the half in :57.4 before hitting the wall around the final turn. Race favourite Wind Stroll took over command at three-quarter pole in 1:28.3, but Cardio Pump found a seam in the stretch and used a :28.3 final frame to win in 1:57.4 over Wind Stroll and Choir Robe.
Mark Steacy trains the trotting lass, who has assembled a 2-0-0 record in her first three tries, for Winbak Farm of Chesapeake City, MD. The lion’s share of the purse bumped her earnings to $32,000.
Bee A Magician circled the field in the second elimination thanks to a :27.4 final quarter and a very confident steer from driver Rick Zeron. The daughter of Kadabra-Beehive, who was sent off as the 1-5 favourite, sat last through fractions of :28, :58.1 and 1:27.3 before staging a furious rally in the lane. She got airborne in the late going and drew clear to win by 3-1/4 lengths over Charmed Life in 1:57. Rounding out the top three finishers was Brenway Dixie.
Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman trains the rookie for partners Mel Hartman, Herb Liverman and David McDuffee. The $90,000 purchase from last year’s Harrisburg Yearling Sale improved her record to 3-1-0 in five starts while pushing her earnings to $92,500.
Legzy, who was sent off as the 1-2 choice in the third elimination, front-stepped to a 1:59.2 victory for the team of driver Sylvain Filion and trainer Rob Fellows. The Amigo Hall-Sahalee miss was on top at the quarter-pole in :29, but she released a parked out Tymal Tessa to the lead for a brief period before coming right back to the outside and reclaiming the position of command. She led through middle splits of :59.3 and 1:29.2 before finishing off her foes with a :30-second final frame. Runner-up Cha Cha Magic was 1-1/4 lengths behind the winner, with Carmen rounding out the Triactor ticket.
Michael Pozefsky of Saratoga Springs, FL and Edward Wilson of Seagrave, ON bred and own the filly, who is a half-sister to their former OSS star Wilsonator (1:56 - $496,049). With the victory Legzy improved her record to 3-1-1 from five trips postward. She’s already stashed away earnings in excess of $130,000.
Moms Apple Pie was the quickest OSS Gold Series elimination winner thanks to her career-best clocking of 1:56.4 in the fourth tilt. Mike Saftic engineered the winning trip for the maiden-breaking daughter of Striking Sahbra-Moms Sweetie Pie. Motown Muscle and Standing My Ground battled to the quarter in :28.1 before the former took charge. Standing My Ground swept right back to the lead in the backstretch, and she sped through middle fractions of :57.3 and 1:26.4 before tiring. Moms Apple Pie rallied from the three-hole and used a :29.4 final frame to win by 1-1/4 lengths over Motown Muscle, with third prize earned by Candida.
Bill Budd trains the trotting lass, who was a $22,000 purchase from last year’s Canadian Yearling Sale, for owner William Dixon of Caledon, ON. She’s assembled a 1-2-0 record in four tries and has banked more than $62,000 in the process.
The top two finishers from each of the eliminations and a pair of the third-place finishers (drawn by lot) will line up in next Thursday’s rich final. Here’s the results of the post position draw:
$130,000 OSS Gold Series Final
1. Wind Stroll
2. Cardio Pump
3. Carmen
4. Bee A Magician
5. Motown Muscle
6. Charmed Life
7. Choir Robe
8. Moms Apple Pie
9. Legzy
10. Cha Cha Magic
To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Mohawk Racetrack.