They've been two of the more popular and impressive Canadian-based competitors in recent memory, and both Beach Glass and Forbidden Trade clocked solid miles during the qualifying session at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Friday, Aug. 25.
Beach Glass (pictured above) was the headliner in the first qualifying dash of the morning. After a four-year-old debut in qualifying action under less than ideal conditions one week ago, Beach Glass came to play under better conditions on Friday. With Paul MacDonell back at the lines, Beach Glass sprinted away from his qualifying rivals once the wings of the gate folded and looked strong throughout his mile. After a :27.4 opener and :56.1 half, MacDonell gave Beach Glass his cue and the pacer responded with a :53.4 back half. The third quarter was reached in 1:23 and the mile was timed in 1:50.
Trainer and co-owner Brent MacGrath told Trot Insider after the qualifier that Beach Glass responded when MacDonell asked him to pick it up, and responded willingly. "He's very chilled, very relaxed this year. He was basically on cruise control."
An O'Brien Award finalist in 2022, Beach Glass is owned by Schooner II Stable of Truro, N.S. The son of Somebeachsomewhere - Im With Her sports a summary of 12-4-0 from 18 career appearances with nearly $1.2 million in earnings.
Forbidden Trade looked strong in his third qualifier since returning from stallion duty. The son of Hall of Famers Kadabra and Pure Ivory made every call a winning one in the morning's fourth qualifier, up by seven under no encouragement from driver Louis-Philippe Roy to hit the wire in 1:56.4 with a 28-second final quarter.
Luc Blais trains Forbidden Trade for Determination of Montral, Que. The 2019 Horse of the Year boasts a 25-9-7 summary from 60 career starts with more than $2.3 million in earnings.
The full replay of Mohawk's qualifying session from Friday is available below.
For results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).