Lexus Kody smashed the all-time Canadian trotting record in the $630,000 Maple Leaf Trot (Grade 1), and Maximus Miki flew home to a 9-1 upset victory in the $690,000 Canadian Pacing Derby (Grade 1) on a stakes-filled Saturday, Aug. 30 card at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Lexus Kody, with Yannick Gingras in the bike, captured the Maple Leaf Trot in a historic mile, breaking the Canadian, track, and stakes record in 1:49.1.
Hillexotic (Jody Jamieson) rocketed off the wings and powered to the front, followed by Lexus Kody, Aetos Kronos S (Dexter Dunn), and Private Access (Louis-Philippe Roy) into the first turn. It was Hillexotic, at 23-1, who was on top by 1-3/4 lengths through an opening quarter in :26.4, but Gingras had Lexus Kody on the move, and the pair took over the proceedings ahead of the half in :54.3, followed by Hillexotic, Aetos Kronos S, Private Access, and Periculum (Scott Zeron), last year’s Maple Leaf Trot winner.
Hitting three quarters in 1:22.1, Lexus Kody, on top by 1-1/4 lengths, looked to power away from his pursuers as Aetos Kronos S and Periculum picked up the chase, aiming to reel in the leader with time running out. A game Lexus Kody shrugged off each challenge and strode to the wire a confident 1-3/4-length winner. Periculum was second and Hillexotic finished third.
The Ontario-sired gelding reduced the national mark by three-fifths of a second, knocking off Aetos Kronos S's time of 1:49.4 from his elimination.
“[Lexus Kody]'s got the ability to do it,” said Gingras. “There's no doubt about it. He won in [1]:49[.4] last year. This horse has got all the ability in the world. I give credit to [winning trainer] Ronnie [Burke] and the whole Burke Brigade — he's not an easy horse, but now he's an easy horse to drive, and it's a pleasure to win this race tonight.
"I'm not worried about speed, I've never been worried about that,” said Gingras regarding breaking the Canadian record. “I'm worried about winning big races. Maple Leaf Trot means a lot, no doubt. My uncle is here tonight, that surprised me. So, it's special that I have my family around."
Burke Racing Stable LLC of Fredericktown, Pa. co-owns Lexus Kody with Weaver Bruscemi LLC of Canonsburg, Pa. and Phillip Collura of Mountain Top, Pa. The seven-year-old son of Archangel-Lexus Helios came into the Maple Leaf Trot final off a sharp showing in his $50,000 elimination last week, which he won by a half-length in 1:51.
Lexus Kody, who became the first Ontario-sired trotter to break the 1:50 barrier at The Meadowlands on the 2024 Hambletonian Day undercard, was even more impressive with six figures on the line on Saturday evening. Bred by Norm Dunstan of Caledon Village, Ont., he is now 32-20-11 from 84 career starts, accompanied by $1,240,218 in purse earnings. He paid $13.30 for the victory. The time of the mile makes Lexus Kody the fastest Canadian-sired trotter, besting Logan Park by one-fith of a second.
Burke joins Ake Svanstedt, Bob Farrington, Rod Hughes and Ron Waples Jr. as three-time Maple Leaf Trot-winning trainers. No trainer has won the race on four occasions. Burke's previous wins came with Hannelore Hanover (2017) and Atlanta (2020). All three have been engineered by driver Yannick Gingras.
Gingras now boasts three Maple Leaf Trot titles, second most in the race's history. Driver Ron Waples has won this event four times, with Randy Waples, Trevor Ritchie, Tim Tetrick and Randy Waples one shy with three apiece.
Maximus Miki Musters Muscle for Canadian Pacing Derby Upset
Maximus Miki spun for home widest of all and built momentum through the stretch to reel in weary leader Ervin Hanover and prevail in the Canadian Pacing Derby, giving driver Scott Zeron his second straight win in the race.
Coaches Corner (Jason Bartlett) set the table for fast fractions with a persistent push for the lead against headstrong Ervin Hanover (Roy) into a :26.1 first quarter. Roy struggled to rein in Ervin Hanover for a pocket trip and pulled back outside for the lead once Coaches Corner cleared on the backstretch. Bythemissal (Gingras), the even-money favourite, followed Ervin Hanover’s brush into a :54.1 half but struggled to clear through the far turn as the 8-5 second choice pushed the pedal to three-quarters in 1:20.3 with the backfield fanning out behind him.
With much of the early speed retreating, Ervin Hanover came down the stretch on a positional cushion with the backfield challengers gaining speed to the center of the track. Captain Luke (James MacDonald) motored up between horses off a third-over trip before Maximus Miki hit his best stride to his outside, and the latter lunged for a final-stride victory by a head over Ervin Hanover. Oakwood Ardan Ir (Jordan Stratton) towered over horses with a late rally for third.
“I was really impressed by him [in the elimination],” said Zeron, who won his first Canadian Pacing Derby last year with It’s My Show. “It was a good thing I got to experience him before the final because he’s got a big, big stride on him and takes awhile to get going. So when you saw me go four-wide pretty early there it was for a reason – just to keep his momentum.
“I don’t think I had a lot of options,” Zeron said of his strategy. “If he gets to the front, it’s usually not really quickly, and I feel like he doesn’t have the respect that he deserves. After this one, hopefully that changes. I thought for sure I would at least be second, but he just never slowed down. He kept on digging.”
A six-year-old gelding by Always B Miki out of the stakes-winning mare Beach Gal, Maximus Miki won his fourth race from 10 starts this season for trainer Tom Cancelliere and his 25th race from 57 outings in his career. John Cancelliere of Clark, N.J. owns the gelding bred by Sergent Stables LLC of Blairsville, Pa. that now has $906,418 in earnings on his card.
Tom Cancelliere later added “I thought he’d be great as long as we kept him on the outside, kept him moving forward; and my other one [Ruthless Hanover] got in his way,” he said with a laugh. “I was looking for the wire, but I figured he would keep going. He always keeps going.”
Sent at odds of 9-1, Maximus Miki paid $21.20 to win.
Abuckabett Hanover surged from third-over to take the $60,000 Open Pace, the overnight undercard feature. Dunn opted for a reserved approach from post two as the wings folded, finding the six-hole for the stallion while favourite Remember The Alamo (Roy) pushed forward to take over at the quarter in :25.3. Three horses left the pylons simultaneously approaching the half in :54, with Taurasi (Doug McNair) first-over, Century Komodo (Bartlett) on his back, and Abuckabett Hanover behind them. The outer flow made headway through three-quarters in 1:21.3, and they fanned out at the top of the stretch to chase the pacesetter. Abuckabett Hanover uncorked the most potent late pace and charged to the lead, holding off fellow closer Funtime Bayama (MacDonald) to prevail by a head in 1:49. Century Komodo finished third.
Abuckabett Hanover, who finished eighth in his Canadian Pacing Derby elimination, is now two-for-10 this season for trainer Andrew Harris. The defending Dan Patch Award recipient for Older Male Pacer recorded his 24th career victory while upping his earnings to $2,534,968 in 84 appearances. Harris of Allentown, N.J. co-owns the seven-year-old Betting Line-All Tucked Up stallion with William Pollock and Bruce Areman of Freehold, N.J. Abuckabett Hanover paid $18.80 to win.
Tells On A Roll upset at 17-1 in the $36,000 Fillies and Mares Preferred Pace. The mare blasted off the wings from post eight for Travis Cullen and crossed over onto the lead entering the first turn before giving way to Caviar N Crackers (Ed Hensley) at the quarter in :26.2. That mare led through middle-half panels of :56 and 1:25 and into the stretch, where Tells On A Roll took to the outside, vaulted past the pacesetter, and dodged the late charge of Angostura Hanover (Trevor Henry) to win by a length in 1:52.4. Absolution (Todd Ratchford) closed from ninth to take the show cheque.
Tells On A Roll won for the third time in 17 outings in 2025 and improved her career record to 22-for-69 with a bankroll of $682,656. Jodie Cullen conditions the five-year-old daughter of Tellitlikeitis-Have Rock Willroll. Tells On A Roll returned $37.40 to her backers.
Saturday's stakes-packed card also features sophomores in action with two G3 Simcoe divisions and a pair of Ontario Sires Stakes events for three-year-old male pacers. To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(Woodbine & Standardbred Canada)