Mark Etsell score a training double on the Monday, Aug. 3 card at Woodbine Mohawk Park, the first of which gave the conditioner his 1,000th career training victory as Sister Scarlett broke her maiden with Travis Henry aboard.
Leaving from post six as a 22-1 longshot against maiden trotting company, Sister Scarlett got away in the fifth position while In Session (Tyler Jones) blitzed to the point through a quarter of :27. The trotters raced single-file to the half in :56.1 before Sister Scarlett moved second-over behind Douneedthemachine (Travis Cullen) at three-quarters in 1:25.
Sister Scarlett towered three-wide at the head of the lane, while even-money favourite Satu Wania (Trevor Henry) moved from the pocket and Broadway Star (Doug McNair) charged up the cones. Sister Scarlett would get the better of the three-horse battle, winning by a length over Satu Wania in 1:54.2.
Etsell, the winner of the 2023 O'Brien Award of Horsemanship, has been posting banner years in recent seasons. The veteran horsemen secured his first $1 million training season in 2022, before accomplishing the feat twice more in 2023 and 2024. He recently surpassed $12 million in career earnings.
Etsell would quickly score career victory 1,001 in the first $30,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots division for two-year-old trotting fillies in the very next race, this time doing the driving as well behind Dromoland Castle, a full sister to his recent stable star and two-time O'Brien Award winner Adare Castle.
Away from the outside post nine, Etsell pushed the lead with Dromoland Castle, working around Queen G (Bob McClure) through a :28 opening split. The trotters raced in straight alignment to the half in :56.3, before the top pair began to separate from the rest en route to three-quarters in 1:25.4.
Queen G took aim at the leader in the stretch, drifting wide as the lead duo began to slug it out. Dromoland Castle remained game on the lead, fending off Queen G by a head on the wire in 1:56.3. Snowdream Hanover (Tyler Jones) rallied for the show spot.
The victory was was the second in three career tries for Dromoland Castle, who now sports earnings of $30,000. The Muscle Mass-Pacific Edge is co-owned by Etsell, of Rockwood, Ont., along with Harbor Racing Stable of Uxbridge, Ont.
Twin B Kingsley took the second Grassroots split, utilizing a first-over brush to score with driver Trevor Henry. After getting away third through a :28.1 first quarter, Henry moved Twin B Kinglsey to the top around Fleetwood Dancer (Doug McNair) before the half in :57.3. Trotting to three-quarters in 1:27, Twin B Kinglsey would fend off a final bid by Stormont Violet in the lane to win by three parts of a length in 1:55.3. Fleetwood Dancer held for the third spot.
Scott McEneny trains Twin B Kingsley, a winner in two of her four starts. The daughter of King Of The North-Affair Hall has banked $26,667 for owners McEneny of Carlisle, Ont., Varsakis Racing of Hamilton, Ont., Cantucky Farm of Jarvis, Ont., and Martwest Racing Stable of Mississauga, Ont.
Another daughter of King Of The North took the final split on the evening, capitalizing on a pocket trip provided by driver James MacDonald. The David Menary trainee Thankful In North secured the pocket from post seven, while 3-5 favourite Houstonweavaproblm (Tyler Jones) moved to the lead at the quarter in a tepid :29.2. After middle half fractions of :58.4 and 1:28, Thankful In North tipped from the pocket at the head of the lane. Under confident MacDonald handling, Thankful In North wore down Houstonweavaproblm to win by three parts of a length in 1:57.3. Outlast (Jonathan Drury) got up for third.
It was a maiden breaking score for Thankful In North, who is out of the Muscle Hill mare, Thankful NO. Thankful Trav of Houston, Texas owns the filly, who has banked $20,100 in three career tries.
To view Monday's harness racing results, click the following link: Monday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Standardbred Canada)