Deweylovernleaver eked out a second straight Gold Series victory by less than a length at Mohawk Racetrack on Friday evening.
The two-year-old trotting colt and driver Trevor Henry hit the wire one-quarter length ahead of Dewey Dont Cheat and Zlatan in the second of three $70,000 Gold Series divisions. The fan favourites controlled the tempo for much of the mile and halted the Mohawk teletimer at 1:57.1, a new personal best for the young trotter.
“I think he is a little bit lazy,” said trainer Chris Beaver of the trotter’s narrow margin of victory. “He can grab onto the bit pretty good, but once he gets into the mile he does seem like he only gives you what he needs to.”
Deweylovernleaver earned his first Ontario Sires Stakes trophy in the second Gold leg at Georgian Downs on July 21, reaching the wire just a head in front of Will Take Charge in 1:57.4. In the Gold Series season opener at Mohawk on July 13, the Deweycheatumnhowe son was a hard-closing fourth, and in his only other outing he finished third in a two-year-old conditioned event at Mohawk on July 2. A $12,000 purchase out of the 2014 Harrisburg Yearling Sale, the colt has already accumulated $80,080 in earnings.
“He’s always been real good, he’s been a pretty easy horse to train, and he’s always shown a lot of talent,” said Beaver, who shares ownership of Deweylovernleaver with Synerco Ventures Inc. of Toronto and Leo Fleming of Campbellville, Ont. “I thought back in February that he was the best colt I had.”
Based on the colt’s performance in early season training miles, Beaver and his partners left the door open for Deweylovernleaver to tackle the best in North America this fall.
“He’s well staked,” said the Delaware, Ohio-based trainer. “I guess we’ll take that as we go, but he’s staked to the Wellwood, and the Breeders Crown, and I believe even the Matron, so he’s got lots. I thought he was good all along, we staked him well.”
Before he gets takes a run at any open stake events, Deweylovernleaver — and his two-year-old trotting colt peers — will make his fourth Gold Series start at Grand River Raceway on Aug. 14.
All three colts that captured Gold Series trophies at Mohawk on Friday had already enjoyed success in the Ontario Sires Stakes this season.
A winner in the season opener, Adored By Masses returned to the Mohawk winner’s circle with a late sprint that powered him past pacesetters Smoke Monkey and V For Victory. In rein to Milton, Ont. resident Sylvain Filion, Adored By Masses hit the wire two and one-half lengths on top in 1:57.4.
Erv Miller conditions Adored By Masses for Anthony Lombardi of Morris, Illinois, Paymaq Racing of Long Grove, Illinois and Mystical Marker Farms LLC of Dyer, Indiana. In addition to his July 13 victory, the son of Muscle Mass and Armbro Adored posted a runner-up result in the July 21 Gold event and won two conditioned events, the first at Pocono Downs on June 21 and the second at Georgian Downs on July 4.
With two wins and a second in Gold Series action, Adored By Masses leads the two-year-old trotting colt division with 125 points. He is followed by Tony Soprano, the winner of the third division on Friday, with 112 points, and Deweylovernleaver with 108 points.
Tony Soprano posted the quickest mile of the three Gold Series divisions on Friday, sailing along on the front end to a one and one-quarter length victory over Will Take Charge and Dunvegan Don in a personal best 1:56.4.
Milton resident Randy Waples engineered the Kadabra son’s second straight Gold victory for trainer Bob McIntosh of Windsor, Ont. and his partners Mardon Stables of Loretto, Ont., Paradox Farm Inc. of Caledon East, Ont. and Dave Boyle of Bowmanville, Ont. In his only other start, the July 13 Gold opener at Mohawk, Tony Soprano finished third.
The talented two-year-old trotting colts have two events remaining on their regular season calendar, August 14 at Grand River Raceway and Sept. 29 at Mohawk.
Ontario Sires Stakes action continues at Mohawk Racetrack on Monday, Aug. 10 with five Grassroots divisions for the three-year-old trotting fillies.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.
(With files from OSS)