A pair of female pacers destined for Grand Circuit action stole the show during the session of qualifiers on Friday, Aug. 30 at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
The fastest mile of the day came from four-year-old mare Always B Naughty, who sat patiently in fourth for driver Josert Fonseca through fractions of :29, :58 and 1:25.4 posted by Cold Creek Queso (Sylvain Filion). At the head of the stretch, Captains Quarters (Jody Jamieson) angled from the pocket to challenge while Fonseca tipped Always B Naughty to the two path, and then the three path approaching the wire. With a :25.4 final panel, Always B Naughty hit the wire a head in front of Captains Quarters, with the mile timed in 1:52.2.
A winner of her Roses Are Red elimination at Mohawk this past June, Always B Naughty is gearing up for the eliminations for the Milton Stakes. Those $35,000 splits (if required) will take place next Saturday (Sept. 7). Nancy Takter trains the Always B Miki - Ooh Shesa Badlands mare, and she co-owns the 12-time winner along with Let It Ride Stables Inc., Odds On Racing and R B H Ventures Inc.
The eliminations for the Shes A Great Lady take place the week after the Milton on Sept. 14, and Nice Buns (pictured above) showed off for her connections in advance of that stakes test with an impressive 1:52.3 mile in her qualifying test. After making a break in her Eternal Camnation division six days ago, trainer Tony Beaton dropped the filly back in for a qualifier. She's never looked better, sprinting away after taking the lead just after the opening quarter for driver James MacDonald and winning by more than four in a lifetime best effort. Fellow freshmen Reigning Captain (Doug McNair) and Call You Up (Louis-Philippe Roy) also performed well to round out the top trio.
Nice Buns (Sweet Lou - Tongue In Cheek) is owned by Casie Coleman and Dumain Haven Farm LLC.
The video stream from the second race on is available below.
For results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Friday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park (Qualifiers).
(Standardbred Canada)