Rookie pacing filly Caviart Belle toured the Woodbine Mohawk Park oval under a tight grip from Yannick Gingras to eclipse a decade-old record in winning her $114,350 division of the Eternal Camnation Stakes on Saturday, Aug. 26.
Starting from post eight, odds-on choice Caviart Belle floated away third as 57-1 shot Wicked Leader (Trevor Henry) lunged from the pylon post to the point and notched a :27.3 first quarter. Gingras soon sent Caviart Belle on the move to claim control up the backside and coasted to a :55.4 half before shifting into a higher gear to the final turn.
In a few strides, Caviart Belle peeled clear of Wicked Leader and tripped the three-quarters beam in 1:23.2. Gingras gave the daughter of Captaintreacherous - Eloquent Grace just a few taps of the whip through the lane as she waltzed to a 4-3/4-length win in a stakes record 1:50.1 – beating the previous mark of 1:50.2 set in 2013 by Precocious Beauty. Its A Love Thing (James MacDonald) rallied down the center of the track for second with Elodie Hanover (David Miller) levelling off from a first-over move in third and Wicked Weather (Sylvain Filion) taking fourth.
“This one – she’s got some gears,” Gingras said after the race. “Like [going 1:]50.1 and she’s done it real easy, and she keeps getting better and better [with] each start. She’s been really good on the front the last few weeks, but she’s raced out of a hole and qualified out of a hole. Every time I race her like that, she was great as well. She’s just all class and hopefully we have a nice future.”
Caviart Belle has now won four races from six starts and has now banked $140,013 for owner Caviart Farms. Nancy Takter trains the filly, who returned $2.50 on a $2 win wager.
Genie Hanover broke her maiden with a victory in the $114,350 first division of the Eternal Camnation while withstanding a final push by Odds On Platinum to stop the clock in 1:52.2.
Odds On Platinum (Filion) barrelled to the lead from the outermost post in the octet to click by the first quarter in :27 as Todd McCarthy revved Genie Hanover for a brush out of third. Genie Hanover grabbed the lead up the backstretch but got swooped by a three-wide Coco Jo Jo (Miller) before a :56 half and sat intently in the pocket to the final turn. Reigning Jade (Bob McClure) rolled uncovered to three-quarters in 1:24.2 and prompted McCarthy to tip Genie Hanover from the pocket and lay her aim on Coco Jo Jo in the stretch.
Coco Jo Jo clung to command at the pylons as Genie Hanover continued to grind on the outside while drifting through the lane. Odds On Platinum shook from the pocket and fired between horses to grab a late lead in the closing strides, but Genie Hanover re-engaged and pushed a nose up at the beam. Coco Jo Jo held third and Reigning Jade took fourth.
“I’ve always liked her, she’s just been a little green,” said Todd McCarthy. “Even the way she raced tonight sort of shows she’s still got a lot to learn. She’s got a lot of bottom to her. Every time I asked her down the lane, as much as [she] was looking around, she kicked in and fought for me. So I was very pleased with her.”
Genie Hanover has now won one race from three starts and has earned $59,775 for owners Pryde Stables Inc., One Point Six Racing Inc. and Caviart Farms. Tony Alagna trains the daughter of Captaintreacherous - Good Will Hanover, who paid $19.70 to win.
For results from Saturday's stakes-packed card of harness racing at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Woodbine)